Five candidates are running for the two at-large spots on the Winslow Town Council this fall.

Lee Trahan, the only incumbent, is hoping to secure a third consecutive three-year term on the council. The second at-large seat is currently vacant; Jeff West resigned suddenly in May.

Two former councilors, Raymond Caron and Scott Holst, are running, as are newcomers Garrett Buzzell and Roy Lord.

No candidates qualified for the ballot for the open district 2 seat, which is vacant after Councilor Dale Macklin resigned in May. District residents can write in a candidate.

Town politics have been tumultuous over the past two years, beginning with the hiring of Ella Bowman as town manager in 2023. Bowman left a year later after she said she was the target of transphobic comments from councilors, and her replacement, Steve Soucy, announced his resignation this summer after just three months on the job.

The Morning Sentinel and Kennebec Journal asked the candidates what they hoped to accomplish on the council and how they hoped to mend division in Winslow. Here’s what they said.

These interviews have been edited for brevity and clarity.  Neither Buzzell nor Lord responded to several requests for comment. Holst did not provide a photo.

Early voting is open, and election day is Nov. 4.

LEE TRAHAN

The biggest challenge is to keep spending under control. We already know there are definite funds that we’ve received over the last year that will not be there next year, and we have to do the best we can to control spending and minimize any additional cost to the budget.

Why should a Winslow resident vote for you instead of the other candidates?

I have six years under my belt. I know that in the last year or so, we’ve had councilors that have quit because they didn’t want to deal with the rhetoric and the so-called pounding heads with other councilors.

I’m there because the town needs me, and I need the town to support me to continue to grow the town and move forward fiscally responsibly.

Winslow has become a deeply divided town, over the conduct of council members, public comment policy, town manager turnover and more. What would you do to heal that division?

The council as a whole, we’re working well together. We’re communicating, and I think we need to continue to move things forward for the greater good of the town and put things that have happened in the past behind us. Just try to move forward and keep the town positive, so that we can show the residents and the constituents our ability to work well together and move the town forward, regardless if it’s the sitting council we have now or any new councilors that will be coming on in November.

Whoever that ends up being, if they choose to be a councilor, we’ll bring that person on, and we’ll show them the basics on how to operate as a town councilor. And we’ll bring them in and continue to work forward, move forward and build this town up.

Anything else you want voters to know about yourself?

The fact that I want to get reelected should say a lot — that I want to continue to build and grow the town. It takes a little bit of time to get your feet wet and start really making some positive moves. And I just want to continue to build the town and control spending.

RAYMOND CARON

Why run for council again?

There were some personal reasons why I got done. They’ve pretty much resolved themselves.

I still have a lot of energy, and I felt that I could contribute to the wellbeing of the town of Winslow, and that my skill set would be appropriate for some of the issues. I missed the interaction with all the residents and the staff at the town office. And so I decided that I wanted to run again and be active in the community.

I take my hat off to all candidates that are running for the office, and each one has a skillset that is very, very deserving.

For my specific area, I feel that forever, whether it’s in the soccer program, coaching, my involvement in the town over the years, the Friends of Fort Halifax, my 15 years on the Town Council, and to some extent my personality, I feel that I can contribute to the council. I want to get back, and I feel that I can contribute. I miss it. I miss the interactions with the citizens. I miss the interaction with the council, and I miss the interactions with the staff at the town office.

Winslow has become a deeply divided town, over the conduct of council members, public comment policy, town manager turnover and more. What would you do to heal that division?

One of my strengths is my ability to not make issues personal, to communicate, to talk, to be professional in my conduct at the council meetings and outside the council meetings. I believe that it takes two to tango sometimes. When I feel emotional or strong about an issue, I give it a little time and don’t react. I try to stay off social media, and I try to (deal) with individuals on a more personal basis.

I worked for Sappi for 45 years, and I think, staying in a job for a long time, you see all different types of personalities, all different types of individuals, and being able to remain professional — there’s a job that’s to be done. And for the most part, at least in the town of Winslow, would talk about roads, we talk about fire departments, we talk about staff and we talk about things that do not have to be personal.

We act with compassion, with honesty and sincerity, because we’re all there to help and to benefit the citizens of the town of Winslow.

Anything else you want voters to know about yourself?

My pride is not to be a councilor. The things that make me feel really good about my town is my involvement and my volunteerism, in all these other activities that I perform. That’s what I’m more proud of. And hopefully those activities mean something to the citizens of the town of Winslow in that they vote for me.

SCOTT HOLST

Why run for council again?

There’s been a lot of stuff going on here in Winslow, and I’ve been involved with forms of politics over the years.

I’ve worked 44 years as a career firefighter for Waterville and Winslow. I was always doing budgets, going to council meetings to fight for certain things, gotten to know a lot of council people and talk to them throughout the years, on both sides of the river. I was always involved with something.

I’ve been semi-retired now for the past two years, and that’s helped. I have a little bit more time that I could give myself to the town of Winslow, see if I can help them along the way.

What do you see as Winslow’s biggest challenge in the next three years?

I know a lot of the citizens in Winslow want businesses in town. But we’ve got to step back a little bit, look at our infrastructure, see what we have going, see where we can head, because a lot of things have gone up quite a bit money-wise, you know, to spend money.

I’d like to help bring businesses (to Winslow). I’d like to help the school department, teach our kids to be the best they can be, but also be responsible for the tax revenues that the town gets from its citizens.

I see right now, just getting our infrastructure settled and getting our bills paid and those long-term bonds that are coming due, see where they’re at down the road without raising taxes. It’s gonna be a big, tough road, because everything is so expensive nowadays. Everybody wants a lot of things, but it comes with a cost.

Why should a Winslow resident vote for you instead of the other candidates?

I know a few of the people that are running have been councilors before, and there’s a few of us that have just gone to the meetings. But I’ve studied Winslow, studied the charter, all that kind of stuff.

I feel that with the experience that I have behind me, working with local officials, that I have some qualifications that kind of match up with others that are running. I may not have more than anybody else, but it’s an even playing field.

Winslow has become a deeply divided town, over the conduct of council members, public comment policy, town manager turnover and more. What would you do to heal that division?

That is very tough. I know all the candidates, and I know all the councilors that are there now. I think we’re at a kind of a crossroads where things are finally starting to settle down, that maybe we can all work together and get on the same page and do the right thing for the town.

I know the citizens are upset with the turnovers in town managers, but I think we are at a position where people are in their places right now. Let’s work with it, and let’s get through this, and hopefully that all seven councilors can work together to lead it down a better road than what it has been. It’s been a lot of controversy.

Anything else you want voters to know about yourself?

I’m a dedicated person to whatever I put my mind and heart to. I want to bring Winslow back to what Winslow used to be.