Sanford “Sandy” Delano is seeking one of two three-year term positions, June 2017 to June June 2020, on the Lincolnville Board of Selectmen, Assessors and Overseers of the Poor.

Please provide a short biography of yourself.

My dad, Buster Delano" was a Rockland boy who married a Lincolnville girl. My brother, John, and I enjoyed the best of both communities. School and sports in Rockland and summers on my grandparent’s farm on Youngtown Road in Lincolnville. We had an early introduction to work; Raking blueberries, delivering newspapers, sardine factory work, milking cows, feeding chickens and picking up eggs, mucking out chicken barns, working in furniture stores, grocery store clerking and caddying.

After graduation from Rockland High School in 1961 I worked at the cement plant in Thomaston and helped build submarines in Connecticut. I enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1962 and served 49 months as an aviation electronics technician flying as a a crew member on a variety of naval aircraft. Receiving an honorable discharge in 1966, I joined IBM in Massachusetts, as a field engineer, where I received an IBM Means Service Award and after 10 years transitioned into IBM sales and am a proud member of the IBM 100 percent club for meeting my sales goals.

In 1980 I joined Digital Equipment Corporation as a principal marketing specialist assigned to corporate headquarters. During the next nine years I held positions of district and regional services marketing manager, with revenue responsibility of as much as $44,000,000 annually.

The used computer market and surplus electronic business's occupied the remainder of my working career, during which I was national sales manager. director of marketing, remarketing manager, etc.

When I retired in 2010 I returned to the homestead in Lincolnville, which my great-grandfather, Robert W. Hardy ,had purchased in 1900, to look after my late mother, Doris Carver Delano, in the home she was born and died in and in which I now reside with my daughter, Kimberly Delano. My wife, Kathy, and I celebrated our 49th wedding anniversary the beginning of this month.

Since retiring I have been a contract sales person for the Rockland based Free Press newspaper, with responsibility for selling advertising in Waldo County. My role as a sales representative in our community offers me insight into current local issues and concerns to which I believe I can provide some expertise and guidance in assisting our community.

I am currently on the board of directors of the Lincolnville Historical Society, recent past board member of the Camden/Rockport Historical Society, a volunteer at the Camden Library History Center, a member and past officer of the American Legion Post 30 in Camden and a Lincolnville Veterans Memorial Committee member.

In undertaking to become a Lincolnville Selectman, I recognize that when elected one becomes a community service manager. A large amount of my professional career has been spent as a service manager and I look forward, if elected, to providing our community with the benefit of my experience.

What are the most pressing issues facing Lincolnville today, and how would you like to see them resolved?

The lack of well paying jobs, qualified and willing workers to fill jobs, an over reliance on tourism and community growth.

All issues probably requiring state and federal assistance, but locally we can perhaps encourage manufacturers and service business by ensuring the permitting process is easy, and possibly subsidizing teen apprentices through tax credits or some other method with minimum financial impact to the town. Startup companies may need tax protection for a couple of years to get them started. We don't have much money to work with unfortunately except for taxes.

I'd like to see more emphasis in our schools on practical matters, like how to manage a checking account and write a resume, etc.

How will you protect the municipal taxpayer as you help shape a municipal budget, and juggle various interests that request municipal spending through the year?

Recognizing that a selectperson controls only a small portion of our town budget, we need to evaluate what we receive for our money and balance any decisions for or against by the input from town committees and our citizens.

It has been said that Lincolnville's best asset is almost a private facility, and that is the harbor. It's a contentious issue between the fishermen and other boaters, with some feeling like it's dangerous to try and sail or motorboat in and out of the harbor. How would you open the discussion and work toward making the public harbor a real public harbor for all?

I feel progress has already been made by working with the Harbor Master and Harbor Committee toward reaching an understanding of the needs of the town. I support ongoing dialogue and job descriptions to ensure everyone is welcome in our community.

How do you envision the future of solid waste processing for the four towns; i.e. recycling, waste stream reduction?

The future of solid waste management will continue to be a major chore for each community. We need to work together, if possible, and continue to seek cost savings and environmental protection in the process.

It's taken a while for the select boards of Lincolnville and Islesboro to reconnect. How do you feel about working with other towns on contentious issues, and are there any examples of issues or potential issues with neighboring towns that you would like to work on during your tenure, if elected.

I am aware of some of the past issues and believe that they are now headed in the right direction. Contention between towns is a matter of historical record and will continue from time to time. Having negotiated many contracts and dealt with irate customers over my career, I don't look forward to contention but, I have no fear of dealing with it.

Some Lincolnville taxpayers say they don't feel welcome at Coleman and Pitcher ponds, because there are no real public access points, among other reasons. How do you feel about the Lincolnville Comprehensive Plan saying there should be public access to all lakes and ponds in town, but a lack of awareness of that goal by the people who live along Lincolnville's lakes and shores. How will you work to improve that communication and make sure all taxpayers have access?

Reality is, in spite of what our comprehensive plan states, property owners on the ponds suffer from NIMBY and do not generally want more users on their ponds or an adjacent property with noisy people and their vehicles next door. It is just a plan and unless incentives are offered, few property owners will entertain making public access available. Perhaps asking people along the ponds for an end of life gift of property to the town would be one approach, the other is to provide tax incentives to someone on the pond to donate an access area, which might work.

What is your opinion on the Select Board asking voters to raise and appropriate $25,000 to establish a Wastewater Capital Reserve Account in lieu of asking voters to approve the Lincolnville Sewer District's request to help pay a portion of bond payments ($19,035 for 10 years) for its project to build a larger sewer system at the beach and extend the system further up Route 173.

I fully support the matter. There is no better way to spend our taxes than to make sure the environment is taken care of. I remember the smell of the bay in Belfast at the park before treatment of overboard discharge was required, as well as watching the toilet paper and "stuff" coming out of the pipe into Rockland Harbor years ago. This will be money well spent and the town has structured the Capital Fund so future town sewerage projects might also benefit from the cash available.

Related link:

• Lincolnville Board of Selectmen candidate: Josh Gerritsen