Longtime Town Council members John James and Mallory Cook attended their last meeting as councilors on Oct. 27.
James, first elected as a write-in candidate in 2014, served for 12 years, the past year as council chair. Cook was a councilor for nine years, three of them as chair. They each had announced last year they would not be seeking reelection when their term was up this month.
Cook and James both thanked the community, the Town staff, and all the council members they have served with over the years.
Cook. elected last week to represent House District 149 in the Maine Legislature, spoke briefly. “Thank you to the community, to the council, to everyone I served with,” she said. “This has been a pleasure, really challenging, and a huge growth opportunity for me.”
James, who admitted he never imagined he’d spend 12 years on the council, spoke with satisfaction and some humor about the experience. “I’m extremely proud of the counselors I’ve served with and what we’ve done for the community. I think we have a lot of wins,” he said. “We have not pleased everybody over 12 years, but you really can’t. But I think we have done the best we could for the community.”
He cited the new police station as a Town accomplishment, crediting Chief David Ruger’s “exemplary job” leading the department. “Our police force is absolutely fantastic (and) fire and rescue is unbelievable.” The Fire Department’s new emergency medical services established locally “is something I can be proud of that I was part of. That is huge for this community.”
After recognizing the contributions of Town Clerk Monique Ward, Interim Town Manager Jennifer Janelle and Public Works Director Jay Redimarker, James struck a lighthearted note.
“I can’t leave out Barbara Bennett because I had a lot of blue legs from Barbara kicking me under the table,” he said, referring to the former longtime town clerk seated next to him for years. “If anybody knows Barbara, she kept me straight for my first six or nine years. They even had to separate us one year, but again, it’s been a fantastic 12 years.”
James also expressed appreciation for his wife Michelle and youngest daughter for “letting me miss all the family events and the rest I’ve missed while I’ve been here (at council meetings).”
Chief Ruger commended Cook and James “on behalf of myself and the whole police department. You guys have really done a great job with the town and assisting the residents of town, so I wanted to thank you for your service.”
Planning Board Chair Hershey Hirschkop and Councilor Paul Schumacher also thanked Cook and James for their service to the town, and audience members gave them a standing ovation at the end of the meeting.
