Dresden voters will have the chance to decide who will serve as second selectmen on the town’s governing body.

Dwight Keene, who defeated Gerald Lilly Sr. in 2016, is running again, and so is Lilly.

Keene, 68, said he’s running again because there are several projects he would like to see through to completion.

One is making an emergency shelter for town residents by building an addition between the fire station and Pownalborough Hall at the intersection of routes 197 and 128 and installing a kitchen facility. In the event of a large storm, it would offer residents a warm place to stay and get a meal.

“I would like the town to hire an outside assessor from an agency, who doesn’t live in town,” he said, and who would not have an appearance of any conflict.

He would also like to see money budgeted for the upkeep of the Dresden’s historic Town Hall to keep it from deteriorating until the town finds a purpose for it.

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“I strongly object to watching a building like that rot into the ground from neglect,” he said.

Attempts to reach Lilly were unsuccessful.

Three years ago, Keene and Lilly, who had at that time served one term on the Board of Selectmen, also sought the same seat.

Lilly had been a member of the Dresden Fire Department for 40 years, including several years as fire chief.

When the votes were tallied, Keene earned 149 votes to Lilly’s 138. A recount a week later affirmed those totals, and both candidates agreed with the result.

Tuesday’s election is the first part of the annual Town Meeting, which will continue at 9 a.m. Saturday with votes on the town budget.

Keene, who is now semi-retired, works as an education technician in the Gardiner-area School District. He has also worked as a long-haul trucker and has owned and run convenience stores in Bath and Scarborough.

Voting will take place from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Pownalborough Hall.


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