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| Candidates for Windham Town Government positions include, from left, Linda Morrell for Town Clerk, William Reiner, a write-in candidate for Windham Town Council, and David Nadeau, a candidate for Windham Town Council. Not shown is Edward Ohmott, a candidate for Windham Town Council. SUBMITTED PHOTOS |
(Two-year term)
LINDA S. MORRELL
Happily married for 42 years and the mother of two
grown sons, Linda Morrell lives on a farm in town and says she loves to go on
walks with friends, going to the movies with her husband, and reading. She
moved with her parents to Windham at 14 in her freshman year in high school and
graduated from Windham High School in 1978. She started working as a deputy
clerk for the Town of Windham and following seven years of serving in that
position, she has spent the last 27 years as the Windham Town Clerk. In 2007,
Morrell was awarded lifetime certification for her duties from the state of
Maine at Maine Municipal Association. That meant she served the association in
various capacities and continued her education to stay current on laws and
procedures and completing all lifetime certification requirements. She also met
all qualifications and requirements to be enrolled as a member of the
International Institute of Municipal Clerks allowing her to use the title of
Certified Municipal Clerk in all 50 states.
Why did you
choose to become a candidate again for the Windham Town Clerk’s position?
Morrell: “This job has been my career, I’ve
done it most of my life, and now that I am getting close to retirement, I
really want to finish out my last few years in a job I still enjoy.”
What do you
feel is the most significant issue facing the town clerk’s office over the next
two years and how do you feel you can help address this issue adequately for
town residents?
Morrell: “I think the next big issue facing
this office is gearing up for the Gubernatorial election in November
2022. It is almost as large as a Presidential election and a lot of
thought and planning goes into it.”
Can you
describe what you like the most about living in Windham?
Morrell: [I have lived in Windham almost my
entire life, and I have always enjoyed living here. Windham is in a good
location. We are close to Portland and other towns that have a lot to
offer. The people here care about each other and are always willing to
help.”
What’s the
most important thing you’ve learned about the town since you were first elected
as Windham Town Clerk?
Morrell: It is a nice place to live and raise a
family, so a lot of people want to live here and so Windham continues to
grow. Having a successful and thriving town takes a lot of hard work from
the staff at Town Hall to all of the volunteers that are needed to work on the
many committees.”
Windham Town Council
At-Large Position
(Three-year term)
DAVID
NADEAU
David Nadeau and Marge Govoni, the love of his life for nearly 40 years, live in Windham and have four children, 19 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. He retired as an Electronic Engineer. He formerly served as a Windham Town Councilor for six years and was a member of the Windham Planning Board for 10 years before being elected as a Windham town councilor again in 2019.
Why did you decide to become a candidate again for the Windham Town Council this year?
Nadeau: “We are in the process of accomplishing several large goals that have been on Council’s agenda for many years. I would like to be a part of bringing them to fruition.”
What
do you feel is the most significant issue facing the town over the next three
years and how do you feel you can help address this issue adequately for town
residents?
Nadeau: There is not “one” significant
issue facing Windham there are several, the connector roads in North Windham,
sewer to resolve the ground water issues in North Windham and “Growth.” Connector
roads: These have been talked about for year. The Council and Town Manager have
successfully got MDOT on board and produced a study which has been presented to
the public and is presently moving forward. We are investing in Windham. Sewer:
For many years we have been aware of issues with the ground water in North
Windham. The Town Manager working with Portland Water and the Schools
Superintendent, staff and Council, thank you all, are moving this project
forward with a two- to three-year completion date. Growth: Many people would
like to call Windham home which causes growth. Growth is not a bad word it
should be planned for and captured, for investment in Windham and to ensure
that what people come here for still exist. There are many people who want a
piece of heaven, sorry I mean Windham, but then when they get it they want to
close the door. Windham’s zoning has to be corrected, 80 percent of Windham is
not farm or farm residential, only a small, fragmented portion is. This causes
us to try and put 80 percent of our growth in 20 percent of our town. We are a
bedroom community with Rural character, to maintain this character we must plan
to maintain it. If we don’t work together to accomplish this goal, we will lose
what we all came here for. We can’t close the door, if you think we can then
tell me how and I will tell you how high your tax bill will become. Planned
growth can fund our future.”
Can you
describe what you like the most about living in Windham?
Nadeau: “WINDHAM!!”
What’s the
most important thing you’ve learned about the town since you were first elected
to the Windham Town Council?
Nadeau: “Finances: People do not have an understanding on how our finances work, so here is a brief explanation. The Town has an approved budget with all funding being assigned. If a project, such as a road being paid for runs into an unforeseen expense, the monies for the next project have to cover it. That project then gets put off for another year. Unlike you the Town does not have a credit card or bank account to go to, the public assigned our budget and that is all there is. This requires much scrutiny, creativity, and long-term planning to develop a budget that meets these goals. I truly enjoy being a part of creating a budget that meets and exceeds these goals with little to no impact on the mil rate. Which has been evident when looking back on the last budgets.”
At-Large Position
(One-year term)
EDWARD
OHMOTT
Edward Ohmott is 65 and was born in 1956 (a very good year). He
was raised mostly in South New Jersey and went to college in Wilkes-Barre,
Pennsylvania at Wilkes College. He moved to California in 1981, to work for the
Herald Examiner newspaper in distributing the paper. In 1982, he became a
salesman for a cordage company which in time became a packaging supplier as
well. He still works toward those ends with a company that he has been with for
the past seven years.
Why did you decide to become a candidate again for the Windham Town Council this year?
Ohmott: “The most direct and best answer is because it is fun. I really enjoy being part of a group that is focused on moving Windham forward while keeping the resident’s interest in mind.”
What do you
feel is the most significant issue facing the town over the next three years
and how do you feel you can help address this issue adequately for town
residents?
Ohmott: “The seat I am running for is just for a year, it is the balance of
the person I was appointed for term, so I am just running for the next year.
The work that is being done now with the bypass roads, hopefully a sewer system
in North Windham area, a community center for all the residents of Windham.
These three items alone will go a long way towards improving the lives of
the residents today and the future residents. If this is not done today,
then it will just be passed off to the next generation. So far in my
lifetime I see only costs of projects going up. Would hate to pass that off to
future generations to figure out.”
Can you
describe what you like the most about living in Windham?
Ohmott: “This may sound general but the four seasons, the people, the multiple opportunities,
the trees, the fantastic way the town is run. I lived in California for 40
years, if I had lived here for those 40 years these things, I may
have taken for granted. I appreciate all these things about Windham, and I have
only been here just short of one year, I have so much more to learn.”
What’s the
most important thing you’ve learned about the town since you were first elected
to the Windham Town Council?
Ohmott: “The way a town should be run. I visited
all the departments when I was appointed and met the department heads and some
of the people who help keep Windham safe and functioning so well. I have been
blessed with having many town employees as well as other volunteers give me so
much information and guidance.”
Windham Town Council
West District
(Three-year term)
WILLIAM REINER
William “Bill” Reiner first came to Maine in 1982 to attend the University Maine at Orono for Forest and Wildlife Management. A few years later, he moved back to New Jersey and started a career as a paramedic and volunteered as a local firefighter. Shortly after Sept. 11, 2001, he transitioned into critical care nursing where he remains until today. He had always hoped to get back to Maine, and finally moved with his family to Windham in the summer of 2016.
Why did you decide to become a candidate again for the Windham Town Council this year?
Reiner: “I have been looking for ways to serve my community since settling in Windham, and this year I can finally make a significant contribution of my time. The West District has no candidate this year, so I felt it was the perfect opportunity to “step up.” The West District needs a voice at the table, and I am ready to take on the responsibility of serving as a productive member of the council. I hope to use my expertise in Emergency Services and serve as a liaison between the town council and Windham Police and Fire. Windham is my home, and with two kids in RSU 14 I have a long-term interest in seeing Windham succeed.”
What do you feel is the most significant issue facing the town over the next three years and how do you feel you can help address this issue adequately for town residents?
Reiner: “Windham is an extremely popular and attractive town, and currently one of the most significant issues is the rate of residential growth. There have been rapid increases in new housing which have contributed to a saturation of schools, Emergency Services, and infrastructure. The concern is that our growth could outstrip our town services. We must be able to match the availability and ability of these services to support the increasing population they serve. Windham has several projects in various stages of development such as the North Windham sewers, the Community Center, and improvements to the Route 302 corridor. We need to keep in mind the financial costs to a tax base already contending with rapid increases in existing property values and grow our town responsibly. Additionally, the preservation of open spaces is an equally important agenda, not just for now, but for future generations. The Windham town councilors have done great work over the past two years, and I look forward to the opportunity to work through these issues with them.”
Can you describe what you like the most about living in Windham?
Reiner: “The quick and easy answer would be, ‘What isn’t there to like?’ The town’s location is paramount, close to Portland but not Portland. Open spaces, farms, woods, trails, and waterways are opportunities that may seem commonplace to locals who grew up in town, but as a person “from away” who grew up in Northern New Jersey, these are things we never had. They are something to hold onto tightly as they are slowly disappearing. I moved here so I didn’t have to worry about my kids being outdoors. Swimming in a river was something I could only enjoy while being at deer camp in the Catskills of New York State. Here, I can take my kids right to Dundee Park. The Recreation department is outstanding, as well the town’s sports programs. Also, you can pretty much find me most Tuesday nights at Pat’s Pizza for Trivia night (which I’ll admit, I will miss since Town Council meeting night is also Tuesday night).
What’s the most important thing you’ve learned about the town since you chose to run as a write-in candidate for the Windham Town Council?
Reiner: “Talking to people recently has shown me what a diverse town Windham is: a great mixture of families, economic classes, and laborers. There is also a wide separation of opinions, and finding common ground on issues like expansion, increasing town services, and preserving the character of Windham is not an easy task. But I have seen this town come together when needed. I follow the town message boards online, and I have often seen the members of the Windham community step up and lend assistance when families post a need for support. That tremendous sense of ‘community’ here is a strong foundation we can build on.” <
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