Election Update: September 9, 2022
The filing period for Sanford local elections ended yesterday. Here is the final list of candidates.
Mayor: City Councilor Becky Brink will be the sole candidate on the ballot. Mayor Anne-Marie Mastraccio is not seeking reelection. (Lance Hoenig and Bradford Littlefield both took out papers, but did not submit them.) Ms. Brink’s term on the Council ends in 2024, so if she becomes Mayor, that will leave a vacant seat on the Council.
City Council (Vote for two): Incumbent Councilors Michael Termath and Robert Stackpole will both be on the ballot, along with Peter Tranchemontagne and Oliver Jones. (Nathaniel Hitchcock and Lance Hoenig both took out papers, but did not submit them.)
School Committee (Vote for two): Kelly Termath, Thomas Miscio and Melissa Simpson will be vying for the two seats. Incumbents John Roux and Jonathan Mapes did not file for reelection.
Water District Trustee (Vote for one): Melissa Alipalo will be the sole candidate on the ballot. Incumbent Roger Durant did not file for reelection.
Sewer District Trustee (Vote for two): Roger Ackroyd and Rodney Laurendeau will be on the ballot. Incumbents Kevin Eaton and Somnang Laurendeau did not file for reelection.
Absentee Ballots: City Clerk Sue Cote reports that over 300 requests for absentee ballots have come in. She expects to have the printed ballots the first week of October, and they will be mailed out soon after. In-person voting at City Hall will begin in mid-October.
Voter Verification: City Clerk Sue Cote asks that people who have not voted for a couple of years, since the last Presidential Election or longer, please contact her to verify they are still registered at their current residence. Over the last couple of months, the Maine Secretary of State began mailing verification notices to voters who have not voted in the last two general elections to start a purge process. This process ‘cleans up’ the voter lists across the State by inactivating voters that do not respond to the mailing or the card, or if it is returned as undeliverable by the USPS. She has encountered several voters that have been made inactive while certifying nomination papers and citizen petitions. Of Sanford’s 15,321 registered voters, there are approximately 3,400 voters with “Inactive” status.
Ms. Cote is able to change the address and/or status of voters who signed a petition or nomination paper because she has their signature to verify the information for a change. She strongly encourages residents to check their status sooner rather than later. As Election Day draws closer, the volume of activity will increase and can result in a longer wait if changes need to be made. If you would like to verify the status of your registration, you can do so in person at City Hall Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., or you can call the office at 207-324-9107 or email through the ‘Email Departments’ link on the City website at sanfordmaine.org.
Party Politics: The Maine Democratic Party will be opening its Sanford office at 911 Main St. in the former location of Bergeron’s Shoes. They will host a Grand Opening and Open House on Tuesday, September 13 from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be served and volunteer signup sheets will be available. Parking is behind City Hall. Use the Roberts St. driveway, then walk through Legacy Alley to Main St. The office’s regular hours will be Tuesday and Thursday from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m., and Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
