Dear Editor:

To citizens of Wiscasset:

Last year I left the board of selectmen, thinking that my work was done. We have some good minds on the board and I was confident that good work would continue. I did overlook one thing as I left, institutional memory.

Wiscasset used to be a very wealthy town with many high-paying jobs and Maine Yankee’s taxes. We now have many citizens with extremely limited budgets struggling to pay their basic bills to get by in life. It’s time that Wiscasset started looking at what we need to carry us forward and relieve the tax burden.  We do that with economic development to attract more business and broaden our tax base.

Wiscasset has great assets. The most often discussed is the $12 million reserve account. This account used to be $18 million. The town developed a sustainable use policy for these funds. We have stepped away from that policy and over 1/3 of the funds are gone. How will we proceed when it is gone? Snow plowing, solid waste management, wastewater management, emergency services are high priorities that need to be protected and supported to ensure our health, safety and well-being.

Other assets, roads, buildings and waterfront are not receiving the maintenance that they need. We cannot afford new infrastructure until Wiscasset takes control of what they already own and bring it back to good repair. 

Please, take a strong look at what Wiscasset really needs and help me to help you put that in place for our future. Let us work together to build a plan that will work for all of the people of Wiscasset. 

I am a Wiscasset resident of almost 50 years with 14 years serving the town of Wiscasset on Budget Committee and Board of Selectmen. I know how it used to be, how it is now, and how we got here. I believe this knowledge is crucial on the Board to avoid repeating mistakes of the past. I am running for a seat on the Wiscasset Board of Selectmen to support the needs of our community.  

Pam Dunning

Wiscasset