The Town of Rockport will be holding a Special Municipal Election Tuesday, August 30, to fill an unexpired term for the Select Board. The vacancy was held by John Strand, who has resigned. The term will expire on the June election of 2024. The polls will be open at the Town Office from noon to 8 p.m. Absentee ballots are available August 1. The last date to get an absentee ballot will be at the close of the business day on Thursday, August 25. All absentee ballots must be returned by 8 p.m. on election day, August 30.

In advance of the election, Penobscot Bay Pilot has posed questions to each candidate, providing the opportunity for the public to better understand their position on issues important to the town and region. Here, Candidate Denise Munger discusses his position on various topics.

1)  Please provide a biography of yourself and explain why you decided to seek a seat on the Select Board.

After retiring from my legal practice of 30 years, in 2015 my husband and I moved to Rockport, finally being able to live in the place we love best!  Our favorite thing about Rockport is the small town feel and strong sense of community.  I jumped into town life, listening, and learning about what makes this town so special – its people, of course! 

My reasons for running are:

• Love of Rockport, its history and its future.
• Belief that I can make a positive difference on important issues that face Rockport. My legal background and willingness to do the hard work to thoroughly understand the facts and the context of complex issues has been and will be important to finding good solutions for Rockport. 
  
• Ability to listen, work well with others and find common ground solutions to difficult issues.
  
  
• Commitment to service and listening to you, our residents, on what you want for the future of Rockport.
  
  
• Fiscal responsibility — we owe a duty of being careful with your hard earned tax money.

2)   What are the three most pressing issues facing Rockport today, and how would you like to see them resolved?

1. Wastewater management.  More below. 

2. Storm impacts on infrastructure.  Increasingly frequent storms with larger volumes of stormwater challenge our harbor, road, and wastewater infrastructure.  We have rebuilt the seawalls, but at very high tides, seawater continues to wash into the Harbor Park area, so more remains to be done.  Also, stormwater flow from more frequent violent rainstorms washes out roads and culverts and complicates wastewater treatment.  We must work with experts on how to ensure we are building and maintaining roads and stormwater flow systems to withstand these more frequent storms, as well as find sources of grant funding for these future investments.  

3. RES site.  More below.  

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

We simply must look for efficiencies and cost savings everywhere we can find them.  Our taxpayers work hard for their money, and they deserve a Town government that provides the services they want but also keeps their taxes as low as possible.  Grant funding and looking for cost savings and new sources of revenue are critical.

4) Housing is at a premium for most middle class working families, and like most other places in the country, Rockport has few homes or land parcels left for families who want to put down roots in town. What should Rockport do to encourage alleviate housing pressures? Adjust zoning to encourage housing density? Allow accessory dwellings on residential lots? Encourage affordable housing? 

These are challenges throughout our country.  Rockport has a treasured quality of life that we want to protect. A recently passed state statute, LD2003, has some of these features, including provisions for accessory dwelling units and increased housing density.  The Ordinance Review Committee is reviewing this new legislation to consider its impact in Rockport and what steps we should take in response to it.  There will be opportunities for our residents to weigh in on these ideas and determine what level of housing they support.  

5) A housing project with 18 units, and 28 bedrooms, is under review by the Rockport Planning Board for former physicians offices on Route 1. Across the highway and closer to Hoboken, a gymnastics facility is also under review for construction. Housing developments have been sited over the past decade further down Route 1, and there will certainly be more. This means more pedestrian and bicycle traffic. The Camden-Rockport Pathways Committee and the 2004 Rockport Comp Plan both urge the town to place more importance on pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure for the sake of public safety and public health. What are your thoughts on this issue?

I absolutely agree and support the Pathways Committee’s efforts to create more pedestrian and bike paths.  The new path being built on Route 1 (bridging Camden and Rockport) will be a game changer, allowing safe, easy ways to get in and around Rockport.   The Pathways Committee has a plan and I fully support that -- we need a bike path to the high school and tying in some of these new developments along Route 1.  Grant funding will be critical to make some of these important projects happen.  

6) Should the sewer system be expanded along Route 90 to West Rockport?

Yes, this project would help economic development along Route 90 and would make possible the potential housing/village development near routes 90 and 17 – grant funding will be critical to this project.

7) How do you see Rockport positioned in the larger regional Midcoast economy?  

Rockport is a hub in this area.  Smart, targeted business development can help expand our tax base and provide some relief to our residential taxpayers.  We have an active Economic Development committee that is currently working on a project to talk with our existing businesses about what support they need to enhance their success in Rockport.  I support this type of ground up approach and listening to our businesses to improve and strengthen what we have. 

8) What is your opinion of the NewHeight idea that presents 84 housing units on the RES parcel?

I am opposed to the 84 housing units shown on the NewHeight plan.  That is simply too dense for Rockport.  The NewHeight idea did show that 7 acres allows room for some small scale housing but also significant green space (and other community amenities).  While I am a big fan of parks in Rockport and spend much of my time helping to make the parks and public spaces look better, I am keenly aware of the budget pressures on park maintenance.  I am concerned that having the entire 7 acres as a town park could end up being poorly maintained and be a burden on our taxpayers.  Personally, I would like to see some housing (less dense, more in keeping with the surrounding neighborhood), green space and other community amenities, but this is a town-wide issue. I look forward to hearing more from our residents on their views and ideas for the RES site now that we have the NewHeight analysis.  

9) What are your thoughts on the current impasse with Camden concerning wastewater disposal? And what is your assessment of the idea of building Rockport’s own facility, as opposed to sending wastewater to Camden and Rockland?

This has been a frustrating issue – the 2 towns should have been able to solve this, but personalities got in the way.  Solving complex issues like this are made more difficult by grandstanding and public soundbites.  It takes behind the scenes work and research to find workable solutions, as I was able to do in my years of environmental law.  We are in the early stages of evaluating providing our own wastewater treatment plant and figuring out how to pay for that.  I love being part of a small town, but would also like to see more cooperation in the region to provide some of these services on a larger, less costly, scale

10) There is a longtime perception that Rockport Village receives more financial investment and attention from the town than the other areas of Rockport — Glen Cove, Rockville, West Rockport and Simonton Corner. Do you find that to be the case? If so, how should the town address the imbalance? 

I love hearing about the histories of the 5 villages of Rockport and have worked with and met with residents throughout Rockport about their concerns and have always worked to support all of our residents.  I have heard this perception and while I don’t think it’s factually correct (at least based on the Town budget), the fact that it’s there tells me that we need to do a better job of making sure all residents in Rockport feel part of the Town, that the Town works for them, and that their concerns and interests are valued.  We have big issues to address in Rockport that involve all of us -- the stronger we are together, the better will be able to thrive in the future.

11) Should the town build a parking lot at the head of the harbor near the Goose River Bridge, as currently proposed?

This project needs further evaluation and needs to be part of a comprehensive review of downtown parking options.  I think we should let the dust settle, regain the parking behind Union Hall, and see where we stand.  A thriving downtown is one with challenging parking, but we want to make sure our downtown can be enjoyed by all of our residents, not just those who live within walking distance.   

12) Would you like to see the Goose River bridge overhauled or rebuilt, and Pascal Ave. reconfigured?

I would like to see the bridge rebuilt.  It is over 70 years old – despite our best efforts at making it look better with flower boxes and some paint touch up, it is in bad condition.  Maine DOT will be the ultimate decider but the town and its residents can let their views be known.  Rebuilding the bridge would allow a better flow of pedestrian, bike and vehicle traffic into the downtown area. I am working on the new town task force to consider potential ideas for this area. There may also be federal grant money that could allow us to improve sidewalk/bike path traffic, lighting and traffic calming on Pascal.  

13) Where is your favorite place in Rockport?  

Harbor Park – I love to see families and other residents enjoying this beautiful community space.

14) Free space! 

I have been working hard on bringing high speed, affordable internet to all in Rockport.  Last summer Rockport entered into an agreement with Camden, and subsequently Thomaston and Rockland, to form the Midcoast Internet Development Corporation, a broadband utility under state law.  This makes us eligible to receive state and federal grant funding to expand internet. In addition, the non-profit community utility would own the fiber infrastructure, which would allow us to lower the cost of internet service since it would not need to generate a profit to pay its stockholders, as current for profit internet companies must do. Cheaper, faster, better, we say!

It’s not easy being a small town these days – even providing basic municipal services is expensive and complex.  We also must protect our small town way of life, while creating opportunities for our residents to thrive.  It is going to take the best of each of us working together to meet these challenges. I would appreciate the opportunity to serve Rockport and all of its residents on these and other challenges to improve this wonderful small town that is our shared home.