Mount Vernon’s current comprehensive plan is 28 years old, but voters will have a chance to change that on Election Day.
Residents turning out to the polls Nov. 5 will decide whether the town should adopt a new comprehensive plan, to replace the one that went into effect in 1991.
Trish Jackson, a member of the Board of Selectman who has been involved in drafting the new plan, said that it reflects much of the same priorities as the nearly three decades-old version.
“People want to maintain Mount Vernon’s rural character, protect our natural resources, and increase recreational opportunities,” she said. “What’s new is that instead of thinking of ourselves as a bedroom community for Augusta, we now identify more as a self-sufficient town where people can start small businesses or micro-enterprises, or telecommute.”
The comprehensive plan is a “blueprint for the town’s future,” according to the introduction of the new plan. It offers guidance for growth, financing, environmental protection, maintaining the town’s rural character and more.
Selectmen reached out to residents in 2017 to gauge their interest in updating the plan, according to Jackson, and community members were excited about the idea. Since then surveys and hearings have been held to gain desires of the residents.
The current plan is 28 years old. Both the proposed comprehensive plan and the 1991 plan can be viewed on Mount Vernon’s website, mtvernonme.org.
Voting will take place from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Nov. 5 at the Mount Vernon Community Center.
WINTHROP
Winthrop will seek to fill seats on the Town Council, Board of Education and Library Board of Trustees — but the races will be uncontested.
Two seats are open on the Winthrop Council. Barbara J. Buck and Rita Moran are seeking reelection to those three-year seats.
Buck was appointed to the council in 2016 to fill the seat of her late husband, Ken Buck Sr., in 2016. Following that four-month appointment, she was elected to finish the term, and then was reelected in November 2016 for the three-year term. Buck serves on the Finance Committee.
Rita Moran was elected to the Council in 2017. She serves on the Appointments Committee.
Joe Pietroski, a three-term incumbent, is seeking one of two available seats on the Winthrop School Committee. Susan Belz is seeking the other, which is currently occupied by Margaret “Meg” Cook, who is not running for reelection.
Three seats are open on the Library Board of Trustees. Mary Jane Auns and Jan Tewksbury, the treasurer, are seeking reelection. A third seat, currently filled by Maureen Whitestone, has no candidates. Whitestone is not running for reelection.
The election will take place from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the town hall, located at 17 Highland Ave.
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