WINTHROP — Four people are running for the three seats available on the Town Council.

Incumbents Linda Caprara, Kevin Cookson and Lawrence Fitzgerald are seeking reelection. Challenger Phil Richardson, a former principal of Winthrop High School, is seeking a first term.

Caprara, 46, is director of grassroots advocacy for the Maine State Chamber of Commerce and a registered lobbyist. She’s been on the Town Council since 1997.

“I enjoy town politics,” Caprara said. “There are some really good things we’ve done over the years. I like to help direct what we’re doing, and I am always concerned about taxes and keeping taxes down for residents. I want to see the town prosper.”

She has lived in town for almost two decades.

Caprara has a degree in sociology from St. Anselm College and attended Central Connecticut University, studying business and taxation, and Connecticut School of Broadcasting.

She is married to Chris Caprara, owner of C. Caprara Food Service Equipment in Winthrop, and they have a daughter in third grade.

Cookson has served on the Winthrop Town Council for 12 years and has spent almost 10 years on the Kennebec County Budget Committee, the last eight years as chairman of both panels. Cookson also has served as a volunteer firefighter.

In June, he lost a bid to become the Democratic nominee for House District 82.

Cookson, 59, and his wife Cathy have a daughter, Amy. A former detective with the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office and a former Winthrop police officer, he founded the Winthrop Ambulance Service.

Today, Cookson runs his own investigation business, I Swear Pro-fessional Inves-tigations. He graduated from the Maine Criminal Justice Academy and has studied criminal justice and political science at the University of Maine at Augusta.

He said the poor state of economy is driving him to seek another term.

“Winthrop is facing a serious crisis like a lot of other towns and cities, and I don’t see it improving relatively soon,” Cook-son said. “Somebody with a lot of institutional memory needs to be there to guide the school and municipal sides of the budget and hopefully come to mutual agreement and avoid conflicts like we had this year.”

The school budget was defeated twice at referendum this year. Fitzgerald, 52, won election to council earlier this year in a three-way race to fill the seat held by James Lattin, who resigned. Fitzgerald was sworn into office in April.

“I’m just getting warmed up,” he said. “I feel like I have ideas to get in place and things to do, and I haven’t had enough time to get that far along.”

He manages environmental health, safety and security for TRC Solutions in Augusta.

Fitzgerald’s wife, Theresa, is a librarian at Winthrop Grade School, and they have two sons in college.

He graduated from Winthrop High School in 1978 and from the University of Rhode Island.

Fitzgerald served several years ago on a committee that studied the town’s public safety facilities and options for replacement and also on a facilities committee studying the town’s three schools.

Richardson, 67, was principal at Winthrop High School from 1988 until his retirement in 2005. He has since returned to work as a superintendent and is currently working three days a week as interim superintendent at Regional School Unit 53/Maine School Administrative District 53, which covers the Pittsfield area.

He said he wants to use his experience in fiscal and personnel management for the town’s benefit.

“I’m interested in seeing that we are fiscally responsible to our taxpayers and look after all the people in town,” Richardson said. “Maybe it’s time for some new blood and for someone to take a new look.”

He and his wife Diane have two grown children and three grandchildren.

He has a bachelor’s degree and a certificate of advanced studies from the University of Maine, as well as a masters of school administration from Plymouth State College, part of the University of New Hampshire.

Isaac Dyer is unopposed on the ballot for reelection to the Winthrop School Board, where he is currently chairman.

Two incumbents, Elizabeth Sienko and Merrie Hanson, are running again for trustee of the C.M. Bailey Public Library. There are no candidates who filed for the other two trustee posts up for election.

All terms are three years.

Winthrop Town Manager Jeffrey Woolston said a number of residents have already cast absentee ballots.

Betty Adams — 621-5631

badams@centralmaine.com

 

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