By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

NAPLES — In the Town of Naples, there are two contested races that will be decided by voters this upcoming Tuesday.

Three people are running for two vacant seats on the Naples Select Board, and two people are competing for one seat as the Naples representation on the School Administrative District (SAD) 61 Board of Directors.

Meanwhile, the Naples Planning Board is offering a quiet race: Two people are running again for the seats they already held. Douglas Bogdan stepped forward as the only candidate for one planning board seat. A familiar face, Martin Zartarian, decided to continue his service as a planning board alternate. There are actually two vacancies for the alternate position. So, there is room for a write-in candidate in that race.  

A reminder to voters: The Election Day venue for Naples residents is the American Legion Post No. 155.

In this edition of The Bridgton News, people can get to know a little bit more about the candidates whose names will be on the ballot.

SAD 61 Board of Directors race

Both of the SAD 61 candidates are parents who have a child or children attending school in the district. Both candidates believe being the parent will be an advantage to serving on the board. Also, each candidate said that a fresh set of eyes is what is needed.

• Andrew Burnham, school board candidate

“I have deep roots in the community and a strong commitment to improving our schools. I have an 8-year-old son who attends school in the district,” Burnham said.

The Naples native works as a transportation manager at one of the local marinas. Burnham has served on the Naples Fire Department for 23 years, with the last 12 years as Deputy Chief. He is the current president of The Naples Volunteer Fire Association. Additionally, he is a den leader in the local Cub Scout pack.

Q: Why did you decide to run for a seat on the school board?

Burnham: I care deeply about the education of children in our community and I want to be involved in making sure that they receive the best education possible. Running for school board is a great way to make a difference and contribute to the future of education. A board member with a child currently enrolled in school is crucial. Although all ages and experiences can bring something to the table, it’s tough to truly recognize the significance of what happens in school and how it affects our children on a daily basis. As a parent with a child currently enrolled in the district, I hope that I could bring a fresh perspective to the school board and represent the views of other parents in the community.

Q: What do you think are the most pressing needs for the school district that would improve the educational environment for the students? (You can address the district as a whole or zone in on one of the schools.)

Burnham: The school district could offer more programs that focus on technology and life skills that are essential for our children’s success in the future. It would also be beneficial to increase community involvement and support for the district, as well as to prioritize the mental health and well-being of students and staff.

Q: As far as the district’s infrastructure, what improvements might be needed?

Burnham: Although there are no major issues, safety and security should always be a top priority. We should regularly review and improve our safety measures and ensure that our schools and resource officer have the necessary resources to keep our children safe.

• Timothy Johnson, school board candidate

Johnson attended Lake Region from 2003 to 2005, and he graduated from Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School in 2007. Johnson has lived in Naples since 2011. He has two children Addison, 12, who attends the Lake Region Middle School, and Avery, 6, who attends Songo Locks School. Additionally, Johnson owns and operates Double A Transport and is a well-known member of the community. 

Q: Why did you decide to run for a seat on the school board?

Johnson: The current committee is outdated. I hope to bring a fresh perspective as I have two young children who currently attend the school district. I believe the current board and superintendent are failing our children. 

Q: What do you think are the most pressing needs for the school district that would improve the educational environment for the students? (You can address the district as a whole or zone in on one of the schools.)

Johnson: District transportation issues need to be addressed and salaries need to be reviewed and raised. The current transportation system is failing our children’s needs and is only going to get worse if this isn’t addressed. 

The school resource officer position needs to be reviewed and changes made to his position because there have been too many avoidable situations at the high school. If he was protecting the school ‘said events’ may not have happened. 

Common sense learning needs to override common core testing. Today’s teaching methods are failing students. Every child is different so there needs to be many different ways to teach a child. 

All children should be held to the same standards in regard to the dress code. This should be enforced mostly in higher education/grade levels as you are preparing to step out in to the real world where appropriate appearances go a long ways. 

Q: As far as the district’s infrastructure, what improvements might be needed?

Johnson: A plan needs to be put in place to remodel and update the middle school as this district is growing at a fast rate.

Select Board race

In 2023, Chairman Jim Grattelo announced that he would not run for a third term. He cited a desire to spend more time with his wife.

On the other hand, Selectman Ted Shane decided to run again.

The challengers are Stephen LaPointe and Jennifer Leeman. 

• Ted Shane, seeking re-election

Shane has lived in Naples his whole life. He is a graduate of Lake Region High School. He is a former volunteer Naples firefighter of 23 years, with 10 years of this being the fire chief. Shane has been working in municipal government for more than 25 years. Currently, he holds the position of public work director for the Town of New Gloucester.

“I am married to my wife, Jocelyn, of 17 years and we are raising our two boys Cole and Nash, who currently attend the Lake Region school district. I also volunteer, coaching them through the Naples Recreation Program. As a family, we love to go hunting, fishing, snowmobiling, skiing and boating,” Shane said.

Q: Why are you running for a seat on the Naples Select Board?

Shane: As a lifelong resident of Naples, I care about this town and the direction this town goes in! I am re-running because I feel like I have been able to make positive changes in my first three (3) years through my morale building and on-point voting record on the select board and feel I can continue to lead the town in the right direction.

Q: What do you think are the most pressing needs of Naples at this time?

Shane: 1.) A Community/Recreation Center. Currently Naples does not have a place for the community to vote, or a place to have large meetings; Naples Food Pantry has been displaced; and there is no place for the residents or children of the community to have a recreational area or storage for recreational equipment.

2.) Many of our roads are in disrepair and we had to set aside additional funds this year for paving. A budget needs to be set in conjunction with a paving management plan, which will save taxpayers money in the long run.

3.) We are in desperate need for public restroom facilities in the causeway area and I would like to work on a plan to make that happen in the future.

Q: What is your opinion about the town making a transition from maintenance department to public works department?

Shane: I think it is a good idea to investigate further into transitioning the town into a public works department so that we can fully understand the benefits and changes that would take place. Current information shows that it would allow us to have more control over our Road Maintenance Program for less money. This would cause changes within our current sand and gravel company that has served our community well. It’s important that we show them support and offer them opportunities to utilize them in different aspects in the future for our town’s needs as they are one of our largest employers.  

• Stephen LaPointe, first-time candidate for select board

LaPointe has lived in Naples since approximately 2012, when he moved from York, where he had lived with his wife and raised two children, a boy and a girl. While in York, he retired after 28 years from the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard as a Nuclear Director and president of the Federal Manager Association. He was commander of the Sons of American Legion Post 56, past president of York Rotary, board member of the York Chamber of Commerce, as well as a real estate broker in Maine and New Hampshire. Also, he and his wife owned a small business, hiring as many as six employees.

“I moved to Naples to assist my brother running a machine shop here in Naples and soon became part owner of LaPointe Machine,” he said.

Since moving to Naples, LaPointe got involved locally, becoming the commander of the Sons of the American Legion Post 155 and joining Lakes Environmental Agency (LEA) as a member.

Q: Why are you running for a seat on the Naples Select Board?

LaPointe: Naples is a unique small town having Long Lake and Brandy Pond border both sides of Main Street/Route 302. Naples has a small-town image and we, as residents, must do our diligence and continue working to maintain this small-town image. I believe the comp plan, voted on in 2005/2006, which is the blueprint of how the residents of Naples want the town to look like in the future, needs to be upgraded and due again by 2025. Town zoning and ordinances are written or should have been written based on the Comp Plan.

Q: What do you think are the most pressing needs of Naples at this point in time?

LaPointe: Naples is a tourist town and grows by an additional approximately 12,000 seasonal residents and tourists in the summer. We need parking for those weekend/weekly vacationers. We need to look hard at additional electric charging stations. The town has only one charging station now. No matter what we think about electric cars, they are not going away. There are some that say by 2030, 60 percent of vehicles will be electric. We need to take a harder and wiser way to spend the budget. Nobody wants taxes to increase or the mil rate to increase, especially if you’re on a fixed budget. I believe with my past work experience, I will be able to work with and improve the way that Naples tax money is raised and spent.

Q: What is your opinion about the town making a transition from maintenance department to public works department?

LaPointe: As far as the Town of Naples making a transition from a maintenance department to a public works department, I think we need to look at it, with the town growing in population and the need for more care. I think we can combine using some existing contractors within a public works department and still hire some additional employees as needed. It certainly is a subject for discussion.

• Jennifer “Jenn” Leeman, first-time candidate for select board

Leeman grew up in the Standish area but she is a Naples resident now. For the past seven years, she has resided in Naples with her fiancé.

“We like to consider ourselves entrepreneurs, owning two businesses and working towards our third. My ‘full-time job’ is operating JT’s Thrift in Bridgton, which we recently opened and has been successful in the short three months so far,” she said.

Q: Why are you running for a seat on the Naples Select Board?

Leeman: I spent some time working at the Naples Town Office as the assistant to Code Enforcement. While there, I met many of my fellow townspeople and learned the inner workings of the town. I was fortunate enough to make many friendships while employed, and was an ear for a lot of issues we residents face.

I’ve said this in a Facebook post to the Naples Community pages, and I’ll say it again:

As a former employee of the Town, I’ve seen the behind the scenes and I’ve endured some events that, quite frankly, are embarrassing to the Town. There has been a trend of employee loss, and I think it has a lot in part to do with under-paid and under-appreciated staff. We as citizens need to recognize how much our town staff actually do for us, certainly not just pushing papers and refusing to give the answers sought after. My term as selectwoman would be to highlight our staff and support them anyway possible, and show them some appreciation for once.

Q: What do you think are the most pressing needs of Naples at this point in time?

Leeman: The much-needed comprehensive plan update is certainly a high priority, and realistically something I would like to see started in my first year sitting on the board.

Q: What is your opinion about the town making a transition from maintenance department to public works department?

Leeman: I feel very deeply that the Town needs and deserves a Public Works Department. I’m not sure the public is aware of all that needs to happen with having to contract most of the work out, and how long that delays a solution. Versus having a PWD, in most cases, could be as close as an immediate fix for the smaller projects. Along with a more cost-effective solution in the long run, it would be highly beneficial to the town overall.