Water District Trustee Candidates: Roland Cote

Roland Cote is a lifelong resident of Sanford. He graduated from Sanford High School in 1961, returning as a teacher 12 years later. He retired from teaching in 2000 but continued to coach basketball. He was inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.

He has decades of experience in city government. He has served a total of 25 years as a Water District Trustee, with a five-year break in the middle to serve on the Town Council. He was also a Town Meeting member.

Mr. Cote is seeking reelection to continue the work that the Water District is doing. He feels that the District has an outstanding group of employees and is honored to be able to serve as a Trustee.

He cites the work the Water District has done to “do more with less” in the face of declining revenues, caused by the loss of industrial customers in recent years, as a major accomplishment. One way this has been achieved is by working in tandem with the Sewer District and the city to streamline operations, he said. This year, they have tightened the budget to avoid asking for an increase during this difficult time.

Mr. Cote also touts the Water District’s exemplary record of safety, while upgrading and maintaining the city’s water system, and maintaining quality standards. He calls Sanford’s water “the best in York County.”