Four candidates are running for two open seats on the Rockport Select Board. Three are competing for two three-year seats, and one is running for a one-year term that opened up when James Annis stepped down last winter for health reason.

The three running for the two open seats are Denise K. Munger, Delores Michelle Hannan and Tiffany Ford. John Viehman is the only candidate running for the one-year term.

Elections take place June 11 at the polls at annual town meeting.

Penobscot Bay Pilot has posed questions to each candidate, providing the opportunity for the public to better understand their positions on issues. Here, candidate Tiffany Ford responds:

Please provide a brief biography of yourself, explain why you decided to seek a seat on the Select Board, and what you are hoping to accomplish.

I attended Freeport High School and then studied at Penn State University and the University of Southern Maine to receive my bachelor’s in biology with a concentration in sport medicine.

I moved to the Camden region and worked as the high school’s Athletic Trainer for a few seasons. I followed  my love of the sciences to obtain my master’s in forensic science at the  University of New Haven.

During my master’s program, I interned with a private Forensic Document Examiner and was soon hired by ATF at their headquarters laboratory in D.C.  I received Federal Commendations for my work on the D.C. Sniper Case and soon after having my son, it was time to return to Maine. I opened my private practice in Forensic Documents and have worked on many important cases for the State government and local attorneys, notably the 2018 U.S. Senate petition fraud case.

I was a private mortgage broker for about eight years in Rockport and at the same time I started On the Water in Maine Vacation Rentals; 19 years now. In 2016, I opened On the Water Real Estate where I am the designated broker/owner.

In 2019, I bought the old State of Maine Cheese building, rehabilitated it and started Trapt Escape Rooms to give people another alternative to screens for entertainment. Despite the pandemic, the business did very well, but earlier this year it was sold to the new owners to begin its new chapter.

Speaking of chapters, in my free time, I just finished my first suspense, crime novel which I hope hits shelves later this year.

I am running for the Select Board not because I need something else to do, but because I believe it is important to give back to and protect the community in which you work and live. I have a varied background, as you can read above, but with that comes knowledge from both the business side, as well as that of a resident with a child in the school district. Every important decision we make is affected from all the angles, and I think my decision making and perspective is something that could help our community.

What are Rockport’s greatest strengths, and how do you hope to support them?

Rockport has always been Switzerland. We have always been neutral and got along with our neighboring towns. We need to continue to be harmonious to provide Rockport residents with the same services and quality we have been accustomed to and I will help to attain those goals.

Question 3 Is really answered in the other questions.

Rockport has a $33.7 million project proposal on the June 11, 2024 Town Meeting Warrant to construct a wastewater recovery facility on the Pen Bay Medical Center campus, and extend the sewer line on Route 90 to the intersection of Route 17.

On the ballot as well is a citizen initiative that opposes the aforementioned project; instead, a group of Camden and Rockport residents has been advocating that the two towns convene a citizen-led task force representing both towns to study the costs and benefits of continuing to work with Camden on wastewater treatment. They suggest a municipal collaboration, citing Midcoast Solid Waste, the public school system, and the two-town police department as cooperative examples.

What is your position on this issue?

I feel we need to come together as a community on the sewer and EMS issues and a citizen-led task force putting together the information and presenting it to the Camden and Rockport Select Boards to collaborate seems like the best idea at this point.

We all need to analyze the cost benefits, cost to taxpayers on the short and long terms, longevity of the current system and capacity size to come to the best solution for everyone. If the budgets can be structured appropriately for both towns to share in the common services, it will benefit the school districts and hopefully keep taxes down for all residents.

There was initial discussion this past winter of placing ordinance amendments before voters that would regulate short term rentals in Rockport. Do you want to institute STR regulations, and if so, what would they look like?

Rockport residents collectively voted this down by 70% in June 2022 and nothing has changed to reopen this discussion, I feel.

We all know there is a shortage in affordable housing, however, restrictions on STRs will never be the answer.  STRs have not caused any official noise complaints nor trash or safety issues, to date. They also don’t create dormant neighborhoods. What STRs do is keep the homes occupied when the owners aren’t in town and boost the economy from money spent by the vacationers.

The homes that are vacation rentals would never be deemed affordable nor available long-term as the owners reside in them occasionally during the summer/fall seasons.  It is a Catch 22. If we limit vacationers, then we might not need as many workers for the restaurants or shops and businesses could suffer. We are Vacationland and a seaside tourist town. We should welcome these guests because we need them here for four months so we can exist for twelve.  We also need affordable apartment buildings or units, but they need to be out of the downtown areas on cheaper taxed land to be affordable to an investor and therefore renters. 

As a Select Board member, how will you help ensure all villages (Rockville, Glen Cove, Simonton Corner, West Rockport and Rockport Village) all receive equal attention and investment by the town?

Everyone that pays taxes in Rockport should be heard and given equal attention regardless of if they pay $3,000 or $30,000 a year. Any monies spent or decisions or votes made by me will always try to be at the benefit of all and not just a few. 

What is your opinion of the draft Sewall Transportation Infrastructure Study for Rockport that proposes concrete suggestions for improving pedestrian and bicycle safety in Rockport Village, and building a pathway to the Camden Hills Regional High School? Do you support these infrastructure improvements, and investing in them?

While I am all for safety, I believe at this time, we have some expensive, more pressing concerns that need to be dealt with and this project needs to be tabled for a later date.

In an era of drug overdoses, mental health emergencies, retail theft incidents and increased reliance on public safety resources, how will you, as a Select Board member, work to keep your town safe?

Again, safety is a top concern for me having a child entering the high school and it’s a main reason I moved back to Maine. I think that residents need to be vigilant and report issues and concerns, but that parents and the schools need to educate children on how to remain safe, not steal, not do drugs and/or how to ask for help if they feel they need it. We generally live in a very safe place compared to most, but that doesn’t mean we should look the other way or not help our neighbor if we can see a problem might exist.  

Are Rockport’s land use ordinances and current zoning districts effectively ensuring sustainable growth in town?

I do think the current ordinances and zoning districts are appropriately proportioned in their business use corridors and residential districts. However, I am open to listen to areas of concern or changes, if needed and appropriate.

What is the importance of local government, and how do you see yourself, as a Select Board member, in it?

The local government is very important as they are the overseers of business, safety and our community as a whole. The select board should help make life better, but also be fiscally responsible so residents don’t struggle financially to enjoy life, and have peace and happiness.

What municipal committee(s) would you like to be a liaison to, and why?

I would welcome being a liaison to the EMS services. My background is in sports medicine; I worked in the Pen Bay ER for a year long ago, and I have also worked with the police, detectives, state officials and federal agents with my work in forensics. 

Camden and Rockport now share a police chief and an assessor. Are there other cost-sharing arrangements that Rockport could do, with Camden or other towns, to spread the staffing responsibilities, e.g., share a planner? Public works director? Harbor Master? Police, fire, and EMS?

Honestly, we should share all EMS services as one, but just in different location as they currently stand. One billing system. One set of road crews, sewer system, and the school district equally. If we worked together, since we live almost as one town already, we could save so much taxpayer money to improve everything instead of stopping at the town line. 

How will you advocate for the Rockport taxpayer as you shape and govern a municipal budget, and juggle various interests that request municipal funding throughout the year?

I was taught from a young age to save money, so you don’t have rely on other’s to get by. However, I was also taught that just because you have the money, doesn’t mean you need to spend it all. Our federal government operates in this manner. It is broken and in massive debt. Taxpayer money needs to be spent wisely and with much research and thought. If we don’t really need something, then it should be put on hold because we need to have a surplus for bigger issue like protecting our shores from storms and helping others in their times of need.

Free space! Is there anything else you'd like to say to the voters that we haven’t considered?

Thank you all for your time and consideration. I feel that I could help make a difference in some of these issues and would like to try if you would all appreciate my guidance and efforts.