HALLOWELL — A move across ward lines for one councilor means a familiar face will likely be rejoining the City Council next month.
Mayor Mark Walker announced earlier this month that he will appoint former councilor Kate DuFour at the council’s September 10 meeting at the Vaughn Homestead to assume the Ward One Councilor currently occupied by Maureen AuCoin.
“[AuCoin] is no longer a resident of Ward 1,” Walker said. “Kate has volunteered to return [and] she said she would have the time this fall.”
DuFour, who has experience as a lobbyist for the Maine Municipal Association, was elected in 2014 in Ward 1 and served until 2017 when she did not seek reelection.
Attempts to reach AuCoin were unsuccessful by press time.
Four councilor positions are up for grabs in the Nov. 6 municipal election: One of two Councilor-at-Large positions, as well as for wards One, Three and Five.
AuCoin has taken out papers to run for Lynn Irish’s Councilor at Large position. Irish, who represented Ward 2 from 2013-2015 and became a Councilor-at-Large in 2017, said she was stepping down to allot more time to her downtown business, Whipper Snappers Fine Fabrics.
“I need to commit my time to that,” she said during a Monday phone call.
Ward Three Councilor Kara Walker and Ward Five Councilor Lisa Harvey-McPherson have taken out papers for reelection. None of the three who have taken out papers have returned with the required amount of signatures as of Aug. 27.
Ward Councilors need 25-50 signatures from people living in their ward and Councilors at Large need 50-100 signatures from Hallowell residents.
City Clerk Diane Polky said Monday that no one has taken out papers to run in Ward One. Mark Walker, a former councilor, was hopeful someone would take out papers before the deadline. He said he has heard a few names of potential candidates who could take out papers or run a write-in campaign.
“There’s five or six names that have been mentioned,” he said Monday. “They have to make the decision if they have the time to make the commitment of being on the council.”
In the event of no one returning papers or being written-in by voters, Walker would have to appoint a councilor.
Nomination papers are due by 5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 4.
There is no election for a Hallowell seat on the Regional School Unit 2 board in November. Dawn Gallagher’s position on the board opens next year while Chris Asch’s opens in 2020.
The other three seats on the council are occupied Councilor-at-Large George Lapointe, Ward Two Councilor Michael Frett and Ward Four Councilor Diano Circo.
Sam Shepherd — 621-5666
Twitter: @SamShepME
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