Elections for Dresden’s local officers will be held at Pownalborough Hall on Tuesday, June 14, with polls open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The position of second selectman is the only post to be contested. One-term incumbent Gerald Lilly will vie with resident Dwight Keene for a three-year term on the board.

Incumbent Gerald Lilly Sr., 60, is a Dresden native who has worked in the maintenance department at Bath Iron Works for 42 years.

He has no objections to the proposed changes in budgeting as long as it does not allow the tax rate to fluctuate from year to year.

“We try to keep taxes as low as we can,” said Lilly.

In a second term he plans promote a children’s playground at the recycling center.

Dwight Keene, 65, grew up in Oxford, Maine and attended schools there. He served in the U.S. Army and worked in retail and as a truck driver until his retirement. He moved to Dresden in 1987. Keene is one of a three-person crew at the transfer station.

He is a member of the Masonic Lodge.

Keene believes that many residents have lost touch with local government and civic activities.

“There is a lack of communication with residents,” he said. “We have a lot of people that don’t have computers.”

He would like to see the revitalization of a local bulletin to keep residents informed. 

As a selectman, he would like to explore the possibility of adding a kitchen to the Pownalborough Hall/Fire Station complex to encourage more civic events.

“I can’t do what everyone wants but I will listen to what people say,” said Keene.

Uncontested positions include, for one-year terms, Property Tax and Excise Collector, Ann Pierce; Town Clerk, Pat Thereault; Treasurer, Kim Rzaza; and for three-year terms, Branden Perreault for the RSU 2 board and Scott Silverman for the Budget Review Committee.