Staff Writer

With  little more than a week to go before  June 8 elections, Arundel residents are looking at little change in their board of selectmen and representation on the RSU 21 school board.

Selectmen incumbents Velma Jones Hayes and current Chairman Dana Peck were the only two candidates to return nomination papers.

Dan Pleva is running unopposed as one of Arundel’s three members of the 12-member RSU 21 school board after Pamela Richard-Wuerthner steps down at the end of her term.

All three seats are for three-year terms.

Peck said he is running for a second term because he’s passionate about Arundel politics.

“I’m the 10^th generation (living in Arundel). That’s a big incentive,” Peck said.

Jones Hayes also has long-standing ties to Arundel. She has been on the board for nearly 27 years and has lived in Arundel for much longer than that, she said.

“I have children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren living here – four generations of us,” Jones Hayes said. “ We’re not unusual. This is a town that has a lot of family. It’s a great place to live and I work hard to keep it that way.”

Both Peck and Jones Hayes agree another reason to run again for the board is the people.

“I like the other selectmen. They’re hard working. Most of the time we can sit down and figure out problems. We’re willing to agree to disagree,” Peck said.

“We work together, even though I’ve seen a lot of changes (on the board) we’ve always been able to agree to disagree and come to a consensus,” Jones Hayes said.

Jones Hays said she brings years of experience to the board. When she first came on the board, Arundel was a very rural, farm-oriented town. Now only two farms are left and Arundel has become a community that draws people who like the quiet country feel but often work outside town, she said.

Lack of revenue coming from Arundel businesses is something Peck would like to change if he’s elected for another term.

“It can’t be just taxpayers paying the burden, our commercial tax base is really small,” Peck said.

Peck and Jones Hayes are both proud of community involvement in the town.

Peck said most of the selectmen’s meetings are well attended, but he thinks there’s always room for more people and new ideas.

He said while most people may not have time to run for the board, they still can serve on committees. Committees are making changes in town, including starting the historical society and working toward a quieter atmosphere with the noise abatement committee, Peck said.

Peck said he is in favor of Bentley’s, the bar that some believe attracts excessive noise due to its popularity with motorcycle enthusiasts.

“I think, like most people, I’m in support of Bentley’s and any business that meets the criteria we (as a board) put on the table,” Peck said. “We play by the rules.”

As for Arundel resident Daren Keller’s accusations the board is biased toward the bar, Peck laughed.

“Daren and I communicate daily. I keep telling Daren we see things totally different. Democracy is a dirty process,” Peck said.

Jones Hayes said she would like to see a new, updated town hall. She would also like to see a continuation of school choice for students in Arundel.

“We want to make sure our kids have the opportunity to choose the best possible school,” said Jones Hayes, a graduate of Kennebunk High School.

Pleva, the school board candidate, has two step-daughters in Thornton Academy schools, one at the middle school and one at the high school. His oldest daughter decided what school she wanted to attend.

“She went to the step-up program in Kennebunk and decided the program at Thornton was more in line with what she wanted to do,” Pleva said.

Having two step-daughters involved in Thornton may affect Pleva’s personal opinion of the Thornton Academy contract, but he said he also will have a board opinion if elected.

“My board member opinion will really be driven by my constituents,” Pleva said. “I’m sure some residents voted against (Thornton Academy Middle School contract), I just don’t happen to know any of them.”

Pleva said he wanted to run for the open school board seat to improve communication and to make sure Arundel’s voice is heard.

“I have a lot of contacts and associates in town, I think I can represent us as a mouthpiece for the town,” he said.

Another topic before the school board is the debt-sharing issue. While Arundel is not directly affected, Pleva would help decide what’s next for the district if he’s elected.

This year a possible glitch was found in the district charter section referring to debt-sharing between Kennebunk and Kennebunkport.

“It was very clear to me that (the charter) meant status quo,” Pleva said. “Then again, I wasn’t privy to all the conversations.”

Pleva said he hopes the board can come to a conclusion in a very short amount of time.

“I’m a firm believer in over-communication. I talk too much, I ask too much, I edit too often,” he said.

Although Pleva commends the board for opening up better lines of communication between the board and the communities, he said he thinks more can be done.

Pleva said he has no special agenda for the board, only to be a voice for Arundel residents in the still-new regional school district.

Staff Writer Suzanne Hodgson can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 233.