With just a week left in this election cycle, Brunswick voters will consider seven candidates vying for just four Town Council openings, including a few 11th-hour ballot shakeups.
The race for a seat on the council underwent changes mid-October when District 3 candidate Mary McNulty dropped out of the race and Brunswick resident Chris Teel declared a write-in campaign to vie for the at-large seat.
On Oct. 18, Teel sent an email letter of write-in declaration to the town clerk’s office, challenging candidate Katherine E. Wilson for the at-large position. The seat is currently held by James Ecker, who is running for the District 2 seat against candidate Mark Melendy.
McNulty withdrew from the race on Oct. 15. The town clerk’s office said that no specific reason was given for McNulty’s withdrawal. She was competing against Kimberly M. Anderson and Bruce Kantner for the seat, currently held by Chairperson Abby King.
Due to the late withdrawal, the town clerk’s office said that McNulty’s name is still on the ballot, but any votes for her will not be counted. The office also said that there is voter information at polling stations to make voters aware of McNulty’s withdrawal.
One candidate, District 4 Councilor Sande Updegraph, is running an uncontested campaign for reelection.
Meet write-in candidate Chris Teel
Barrie Fisher photo
Teel, who is a father of five and married to a fourth-generation Brunswick resident, has 30 years of professional experience at Bath Iron Works and currently works as a project manager for Maine-based Cianbro Corporation.
Teel, who described himself as passionate for his town and for residents working together, said he is running as a write-in candidate for many reasons, including the need to meet resident demands and to challenge who he described as a liberal candidate who already has nine years experience on the council. He also wants to put forth solutions for the toxic firefighting foam spill that occurred in August and restore Brunswick to its “hometown values” that make it special.
Teel said that the Town Council lacks diversity and it needs “solution-based people” to challenge the status quo. Consistent unanimous votes at Town Council meetings — and a lack of debates and or in-depth consideration on the impact to voters — are not a good thing, he said. He aims to be the “common sense” voice who will throw the “challenge flag” often.
“I will always remind town leadership that we work for the residents, be accountable and transparent to them, not Augusta, and not the ever growing group of unelected officials,” Teel said. “… Town leadership needs to change. There is no ‘diversity’ on the Town Council. There is a group of same-think people following the Augusta agenda and spending our hard-earned tax dollars on items ‘they’ deem worthy.”
Teel said that much of Brunswick’s priorities have been turned upside down and that he can no longer continue to watch town leadership levy tax increases against residents, which he said will force them to move or greatly alter their lifestyle. He said he also wants to tackle non-essential spending, given that the economy is “in shambles” and that he was previously involved in a “tax revolt” to avert a property assessment that would have devastated many including senior citizens and fixed income populations. He said that the effort would return in 2025.
Teel said that, if elected, his focus would be on reducing taxes by challenging the town’s budget and approach local leadership with “common sense” and by listening to taxpayers and representing all of Brunswick and its residents.