Three candidates are vying for two vacant seats on the Old Town City Council.
Katrina Wynn and Russel Sossong are running for an 18-month seat. Charlene Virgilio is running for a six-month seat on the seven-person council. None of the candidates are incumbents or have served on the council before.
Residents can vote from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, June 10, at Elks Lodge, 37 Fourth St. in Old Town. Citizens will also vote to approve the Regional School Unit 34 budget.
Candidates are listed below in the order they appear on the ballot.
Russel Sossong IV
Russel Sossong IV said he knew he wanted to run for City Council when he talked to his neighbors about the increased cost of living in Old Town. The 24-year-old said decisions over the years have forced longtime citizens to consider moving while new residents are priced out of the city.
“The hearts of the people that want to stay here are bleeding dry because they can’t afford to stay here,” he said.
Old Town is in the midst of finalizing its budget, which could raise property taxes more than six percent while cutting 13 positions across the city.
Old Town will be able to fix its budget issues and allow for new businesses to come to the area with a “responsible balance” between cost of living and the services provided across town, Sossong said.
He said this doesn’t mean outright cutting services as a way to save the money, but looking at possible short-term cuts or combinating services to make sure citizens are receiving everything they need while still having fair taxes. Bringing tax rates down to between 10 and 15 percent is a reasonable goal, Sossong said.
Sossong works in IT maintenance at United Technologies Center. He earned a degree from Eastern Maine Community College after graduating from Old Town High School.
Katrina Wynn
Katrina Wynn, 38, works as a desk clerk at the Orono Public Library. Wynn, who has lived in Old Town since 2016, said she wants to “listen [to], learn and apply” citizen input to pass policies.
Old Town has been going through a “painful year for everyone” due to a proposed tax increase and the environmental and health issues created by the Juniper Ridge landfill, Wynn said. Talking to community members and learning about what programs and services are needed and wanted is a priority when looking into these issues, she said.
Better communication between the town and community members as a way to foster “frictionless services” that people enjoy using is how the council should reach the community, she said.
Charlene Virgilio
Charlene Virgilio is running unopposed for a six-month seat on the Old Town City Council.
Virgilio, a 64-year-old retiree, said her experience in marketing, sales and two terms as a council member for the Penobscot Nation will make her well equipped to work through the “difficult decisions” Old Town is facing, including current budget talks.
Her plan to grow Old Town’s economy while avoiding higher taxes revolves around bringing businesses to downtown and developing waterfront areas. Affordable housing and infrastructure improvements should be looked at as long-term improvements in a time when short-term solutions aren’t feasible, she said.
Police, fire and other service contracts, along with the budget processes for the city and RSU 34, should be looked at more closely when trying to solve Old Town’s budget problems, she said.
