I, William “Bill” Maloney, currently chair of the Budget Committee, am running for selectman for the town of Wiscasset. My primary reason for running is to bring fiscal responsibility to the board.

Wiscasset is in a “Catch 22.” We have many amenities resulting from the tax income the town received when Maine Yankee paid a significant percentage of our bills. With Maine Yankee’s departure, we are now saddled with these amenities without the all-important tax base to fully support them. When faced with a decision to curtail said amenities, the voters vote to maintain them. Each year, the maintenance or replacement of these amenities increases substantially. We cover these costs by taking money from our reserve funds or by raising taxes.  

This year, our capital expenses alone are $1,842,000 ($174,500 is for the waterfront project). To pay for this, we are taking $574,500 from our investment fund and borrowing $1,267,500 plus interest of $289,514 for a total loan of $1,557,014. Next year we will pay $205,215 on the loan. So next year before we even think of what we have to spend, we are already on the hook for $205,215.00.

We must decide between what we want, and what we need. We may want a new waterfront or a new park on Whites Island. Both of these additional amenities would be nice, but do we need them? How will we pay for them? What will the ongoing maintenance be for these amenities? We must choose. Even though we may receive a grant for part of the expense of developing them, we will be burdened with the upkeep and liability of them for years to come.  

My wife, Lynn, and I moved to Wiscasset nine years ago because it was a small town like the town where I was raised. The people who live here are full-time residents, not seasonal like many coastal towns. It is a true historic New England town with a variety of small shops, art galleries, and rural areas. I want to keep it that way.

We must watch the town’s spending just as we all watch our personal spending. We need to protect the residents who are just making ends meet. This is truer today with inflation affecting everything we buy or use. We must take care of the poor, genteel poor, and the elderly on fixed incomes so they can remain in their homes.

To do this we have to decide between want and need; we need to increase our tax base without changing the character of our town, or continually raising taxes on homeowners. We need a full-time planner who will work on bringing clean light real estate tax paying industry to town which will in turn create good paying jobs and bring new citizens to town. This person will be responsible for true economic development which our town desperately needs.

Additional information on my views will be provided throughout the campaign. However, fiscal responsibility is my major concern. I would like to hear from you the voters and taxpayers of Wiscasset regarding your concerns, as this town belongs to all of us. I can be reached via email at billmaloney5@gmail.com

Thank you for taking the time to read this and I look forward to hearing your thoughts and concerns.