School board and Town Council candidates will introduce themselves and their priorities during the annual Meet the Candidates Night on Thursday, Oct. 16, at 7 p.m. in the Town Hall auditorium. The event will be accessible via zoom and recorded for later viewing.
All nine candidates have agreed to participate in the program, and each will be asked the same two questions: what are their qualifications and reasons for running; and what solutions do they suggest for addressing what they consider the top two issues facing the town or the school district. A closing question will allow them to offer further information or comments.
South Berwick resident Lisa Jones will moderate the discussion, and the in-person and zoom audiences will be invited to submit questions to be asked at the end as time allows. The zoom link is: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81383768601
The six candidates competing for two three-year terms on the Town Council are Brendan Boyle, Melissa Costella, Samuel Flinkstrom, Charles Nadeau, Paul Schumacher and Kandice Thompson. Vying for one two-year Town Council term are Brian Hussey and Joel Martin. Joe Long is running unopposed for a three-year term on the MSAD 35 Board of Directors.
The candidates’ event is being sponsored for the second year by the South Berwick Reporter, an online all-volunteer local news source created in March 2023.
The Reporter is a program of SoBo Central, the umbrella group for 10 nonprofits in town. For 12 years, the candidates’ forum was hosted by SmartGrowth South Berwick, a volunteer citizens group focused on a vibrant and walkable downtown.
Corrections: The name of incumbent candidate Melissa Costella was incorrectly stated in an earlier version of this article. The Reporter regrets the error. In addition, the link to the Zoom for the candidate’s forum was corrected. It is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81383768601.
