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Candidate profiles:

Marchian 'Skip' Crane, Richard B. Hall, and Andrew J. Upham are running for the two 3-year seats on the Gray Town Council.

The Monument posed three questions to all the candidates:

1. Please name the top three issues you see as facing your Board.
2. Tell The Monument Readers how you will approach solving the one most
pressing of the above-mentioned issues.
3. Please share your favorite quote.

Skip Crane,
for one of the two the three-year terms on the Gray Town Council,

The 3 most important issues in Gray today are:

1. Zoning - because it has been pushed so hard by the current Council over the last few months.
2. Spending - because it should not be increasing by 7.6%.
3. Traffic Issues - because the Maine Turnpike Authority (MTA) and Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) have made decisions that have impacted travel in and through Gray.

What is the most important issue of the 3?

I believe that zoning is the most important - because it can also impact spending and cause traffic patterns to change. The next Council will have to deal with zoning issues because of the urgency the current Council has placed on zoning changes recently. The next Council should bring a (much needed) fresh perspective as it will have a minimum of two new members and maybe three.

It is my opinion that the current Council is trying to do too much too quickly. Minor zoning changes could have been made without disrupting our community. If you are not living in an area that is changing, put yourself in the shoes of property owners who are being affected by the zoning changes and ask yourself if you would still make some of these changes. These changes may impact you anyway - either because family, friends and neighbors are impacted or maybe because the business you work at or shop at is being affected. They may impact you through changes in traffic. We still don't know what effect the proposed Route 26 by pass will have on that zone.

I am a realist. I know we can't please everyone, but after the recent Planning Board hearing it is evident to me that we have to slow down and re-evaluate some of the proposed changes. More people came and voiced their objections than I've seen at some Town Meetings. Finally, the zoning plans for Wellhead Zones 1 and 2, as well as the Village Center, haven't even been finished yet and most of the other zones will abut these three zones. No one can say for sure yet where these lines will eventually be placed.

My favorite quote:

I have many - but there is one current favorite that relates to the zoning issue:

"Always design a thing by considering it in its next larger context: a chair in a room, a room in a house, a house in a city plan." - Eliel Saarinen

Richard Hall,
Candidate for Gray Town Council, forone of the two the three-year positions:

1. Please name the top three issues you see as facing your Board.

--Final resolution of the new zoning plan.
--Final resolution of the Pennell transfer to the Gray Public Library
Association.
--Creative methods and measures for implementing a cost-contained budget
.
2. Tell The Monument Readers how you will approach solving the one most pressing of the above-mentioned issues.

I believe the most common interest situation is related to the Pennell Trust. There has been discussion regarding the Trust for many years and, unfortunately, resulting hard feelings on several fronts. Transferring the Trust for the purpose of a new Town Library will resolve this situation and result in Gray having an expanded and updated resource. The best part is that the new Town Library will not cost the taxpayers one cent! Once this matter is resolved the citizens of Gray and the new Town Council will be able to move on to address other pressing matters such as the zoning plan implementation and town operations under a new budget. I encourage a 'yes' vote for the Pennell Trust transfer.

3. Please share your favorite quote.

"The only thing permanent is change."

Andy Upham,
Candidate for Council for one of the two the three-year positons.

Please name the top three issues you see as facing your Board.
In rank order:

1) Fiscal responsibility - The citizens of Gray are wonderfully honest and sincere people. They work hard for their money and deserve a council that works equally hard to ensure that tax dollars are spent wisely. The people of Gray need a clear understanding of what it costs to provide necessary services, they need a better understanding of the cost and importance of peripheral services. I believe that the single most important role of Town Council is to establish and oversee that the policies and practices of town operations clearly represent the best interests of the constituency.

2) Communications - I have attended the vast majority of Town Council meetings and Council workshop meetings for the past year and a half. I have been vocal at these meetings along with other citizens of Gray. I think that council members should provide more detail to the citizens regarding the specifics of why and how they make certain decisions and should explain why they vote for or against a certain issue.

A councilor should listen ten times more than they talk. I believe strongly in consensus. However, for me consensus does not mean simply "majority rule". Consensus means that the core values of minority interests are heard, understood, and cared for. Councilors must work hard to develop methods and procedures that greatly enhance the lines of dialogue needed to fairly represent their constituency. The citizens of Gray need to take an active role in THEIR government. I look forward to working with the other councilors to advance that process.

3) Collaboration - Over the past few years, Gray citizens and councilors have dealt with a myriad of issues. Gray citizens can take an active role in deciding their future with the help of an informed, energetic, sincere, responsive council. People of Gray, this is YOUR council. You select the membership and you hold each accountable through your voice and your vote. I am not a politician. I am a concerned citizen that can make a positive difference.

Tell the Monument Readers how you will approach solving the one most pressing of the above-mentioned issues.

Fiscal responsibility requires implementation of projects based on priorities and the ability of taxpayers to fund the initiatives. The existing council has done a very good job of identifying budget elements. The next step is to develop metrics such as "return on investment" to prioritize projects in the Capital Investment Plan as well as the annual operating budget.

All initiatives and projects should be supported by a business case analysis, one that includes financials. Development of the town's operating budget should identify opportunities for savings through process improvement initiatives and quality control. All town business should be linked directly to citizen benefit. If that linkage cannot be made, that activity should be reviewed.

Please share your favorite quote.

My favorite quote came from a woman who spoke at the June 2004 Town Meeting. With all the discussion over taxes, I recall this wonderfully simple and meaningful statement regarding fiscal policy, "just give me the facts, give them to me straight and let me decide." For me, that speaks volumes for the role of Town Councilor.