Boothbay voters will go to the polls on Monday, May 1 at the Boothbay Town Office between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. to choose two selectmen for three-year terms. Incumbent Charles “Chuck” Cunningham, Erik Bertelsen, Karen Kusnierz and Julie Roberts are the candidates.

Below are their profiles in alphabetical order

Erik Bertelsen

Address: 397 Ocean Point Drive, East Boothbay

Occupation: Educational Consultant. Former teacher, coach, college counselor, camp director and college admission officer.

Education: Bates College BA, graduate work in education at USM

Political History (Board, Committees): None

Clubs/Organizations: National Association of College Admission Counselors, College Club of Bates, former President of the Alumni Association of Bates, Active member of the Y, Vestry member and Junior Warden at St. Columba’s Church

Considering the position you are running for, what do you feel are the three most pressing issues?

In conversations over the years with fellow residents, I know many of us share similar concerns for the needs of our community: attainable housing, a strong local economy, a healthy environment, the needs of seniors, and the importance of our schools to the entire community. All of this, while keeping an eye on expenditures. Having attended many candidate forums and meetings on local issues, I know that I am not unique in identifying these as important issues for Boothbay. In my view, none of these issues should be viewed in isolation. Clearly, they all matter, are interrelated, and need to be addressed with an eye toward both their short- and long-term impact on the citizens of Boothbay and its economy. With that in mind, I believe a proactive approach, seeking solutions to the challenges we will face in the future is critical. Whether raising awareness of the long term needs of our schools or reaching out for grants such as those provided through the Community Resilience Partnership, a program designed to address issues related to climate change, we need a forward looking approach.

Any other thoughts on why you are running or what you can bring to the office?

I would be honored to represent Boothbay as a Selectman. Over the years, I have come to know the community as a vestry member at St. Columba’s Church, working and volunteering at the Y where my wife Abby Jones worked for many years, and closely monitoring issues of importance to the community. While new to politics, as a career educator, administrator, and small business owner, I’ve been active in a variety of organizations and often been asked to take on leadership roles. I can’t promise that I have easy answers to the complex issues we currently face. Indeed, one should be leery of those that do. More importantly, I bring a fresh and civil voice, an open mind, and a collaborative approach to the challenges we face. I strongly believe that only by listening to one another and working together will we be able to keep Boothbay’s rural charm while advancing the well-being of our residents.

Charles Cunningham

Address: 297 Wiscasset Road, Boothbay

Occupation: Evening Operations Manager Hannaford Boothbay Harbor

Education: High School Graduate Boothbay Region High School Class of 1984

Political History (Board, Committees): Current Boards, Committees: Chairman Boothbay Board of Selectmen, Boothbay Region Refuse Disposal District (past Chairman), Past Boards, Committees: Boothbay Planning Board (Vice Chairman), Boothbay Comprehensive Plan Committee (Co-Chair), St. Andrews Task Force (Chairman), Boothbay Administrative Code Review Committee, Route 27 Corridor Committee, Boothbay Parks & Recs Committee

Clubs/Organizations: Boothbay Region Health Center (Current Vice-President), Boothbay Knights of Pythias Lodge #32 (Vice Chancellor-Commander)

Considering the position you are running for, what do you feel are the three most pressing issues?

I would say that the three most pressing issues are all interrelated issues: housing, our schools, and getting the most out of each dollar the town receives to keep taxes down.

Housing is a big issue, not just in Boothbay, but the region. There is some traction on building new housing which is encouraging. There are a few warrant articles on this year’s warrant that I and the other Selectmen worked on for your consideration to help with housing (1) to allocate $50,000 of ARPA funds, 2) to expand the TIF Zone to extend water and sewer to a parcel to build housing on and 3) allocate monies from the TIF Fund to help build the extension.

Our school population is declining and has for years. Housing would allow families to move into Boothbay and hopefully reverse that trend. As a Selectman I was part of the process with our School Officials (School Committee and Trustees) to redo the School Charter. The document that was agreed upon was a work of compromise and is better than the outdated one that we had. School Officials are working hard on the vision for our schools moving forward and I believe that level of compromise will be needed again.

Each dollar the town receives needs to be stretched as much as possible to keep taxes in check. We have done a good job of this in the past but costs for everything are rising. We need to continue to explore grants, continue to work together on purchases with other entities and municipalities and whenever possible to look outside the box at creative ideas. At my suggestion, the Selectmen agreed that the proposed extension of the TIF Zone will encompass the property that the sewer and water will go to. This allows a portion of the tax dollars to go back into the TIF Fund. It also shelters the increased value of the property from our overall Town valuation as it applies to entities which charge Boothbay based on valuation (i.e Lincoln County- Boothbay is the #2 payer of County taxes at over $1.5 million)

Any other thoughts on why you are running or what you can bring to the office?

I bring a collaborative approach as well as a common sense approach to the office of Selectman. Both sides of an issue need to be listened to as issues arise and are worked through. I make my decisions after looking at and hearing both sides of an issue. I want what’s best for Boothbay. I have enjoyed your support in the past for my approach on various issues. I hope that I have earned that support once again when you go to the polls on May 1.

If you have any questions about this or anything else you may have concerns or comments about please feel free to get in touch with me. If you’d like to email me send it to chuck@townofboothbay.org

Karen Kusnierz

Address: 2 Church St., #150 East Boothbay

Occupation: Grover’s Hardware, Artist

Education: New England School of Communications. Advertising, Marketing, Public Relations. Beal College. Medical Transcription.

Political History (Board, Committees): Fraternal Order of Eagles; #3177. I ran for Vice President and got elected for Inside Guard.

Clubs/Organizations: Fraternal Order of Eagles. Candidate supporter for incoming prospects. A non-profit that unites in the spirit of liberty, truth, justice and equality.

Considering the position you are running for, what do you feel are the three most pressing issues?

Affordable housing needs to be acknowledged and somehow worked towards.

NEAV project. What can we do to protect the land and community in East Boothbay.

With an influx of cyclists, what can we do to make drivers more attentive and keep cyclists and also pedestrians safe.

Any other thoughts on why you are running or what you can bring to the office?

I am beyond happy to call this place my home. Now, I want to be of as much help as possible. I want to be able to provide the mediation needed and to really try and find a solution that works best for everyone. All concerns should be heard.

Julie Roberts

Residence: East Boothbay

Occupation: Co-owner, Coastal Maine Popcorn, Boothbay Harbor

Education: Boothbay Region Elementary School, Boothbay Region High School Class of 1991, Bernard’s School of Hair Design

Political history: Current President of the Board of Directors Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce

Clubs/organizations: Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce Board member

Considering the position you are running for, what do you feel are the three most pressing issues?

The three most important topics for me are affordable housing, our school system and being business friendly. Without affordable housing we have no future. We have people, including young families that want to live here. Once they have housing, the next thing on the list is a school that our kids and administrators deserve. As a business owner that is both in Boothbay and Boothbay Harbor, I know the importance of having an approachable board, town office and code enforcement officer. People, housing, schools and business, that is what community is all about.

Any other thoughts on why you are running or what you can bring to the office?

I have no personal agenda. The selectboard serves at the leisure of the citizens of the town. I am here to listen to them. I am a very gray area person. I can see any view of many topics and try to be open minded about anything anyone wants to discuss or share. I want to make sure the citizens of our community continue to feel they can approach the board with concerns or ideas. I have lived in Boothbay and Boothbay Harbor for 50 years. I have raised two kids here in our school. I have been a business owner for 23 years. I understand the struggle of living in a somewhat isolated fishing and tourist driven community. I pride myself on being completely committed to the Boothbay and Boothbay Harbor Region. I have thrown myself wholeheartedly and care about our future so much.