Question: What do the Lincolnville Fire Chief, Chairman of the Planning Board, Chairman of the Capital Needs Committee, former Chairman of the School Board, and four out of five of the town’s selectmen all have in common? The answer: They were among the 306 Lincolnville registered voters who signed the petition form calling for an amendment to the Town Charter that would give the people of Lincolnville the power to establish or abolish a local police department.

The way the Charter now reads, the town is required to have a Police Department, whether townspeople feel we need one or not. This wording was voted in back in 2002, along with a handful of other changes. But how many Lincolnville voters who approved these changes actually went to the Town Office before voting to get a copy of the changes being suggested and really knew what they were getting?

If you are one of those people who read your homeowners and car insurance policies from beginning to end, maybe you did get an advance copy and read every word. But if you’re like me (and I suspect 99 percent of the rest of the population), you probably found yourself in the voting booth looking at an article recommended by the selectmen, and you dutifully checked the “YES” box without giving it too much thought. And voila — the full-time Lincolnville Police Department was born.

It’s now 11 years later. Lincolnville is still divided about whether it wants a Police Department or not. But sadly we do not have the power to ultimately decide this issue democratically, because the way the Town Charter is written won’t let us. Until the present wording is changed, we do not have the ability to decide. That is why a “YES” vote on Article 7 is so important.

Whether you support having a local Police department or think it’s a duplicative, unnecessary waste of money, we as a town need to change the Charter wording to let Lincolnville voters ultimately decide this issue. I urge everyone to vote “YES” and return this choice to the people of Lincolnville.

There are some vocal people in town (many of them “from away”) who are against changing the charter. They fear that changing the wording will mean the elimination of the police department. Why are they afraid to let Lincolnville voters decide this issue? The answer is simple — they fear that the majority of townspeople really do not want a police department, and if given the choice to decide, will decide against it.

Call me crazy, but I thought that’s what democracy was all about — letting people decide what they want/don’t want. If more people want a police department than don’t want one, the town should keep it. If more people don’t want a police department, we should get rid of it. Either way it should be a matter of free choice for Lincolnville voters. Unlike the opponents of this Charter Amendment, I trust Lincolnville people to make the right decision for the town. And I believe we should have this choice.

On June 11, by voting “YES” on Article 7, we will amend the Town’s Charter as it is presently written and give ourselves the right to decide if the town has a police department or not. Please give yourselves the power to decide this important issue by voting “YES” on Article 7.

Cathy Hardy lives in Lincolnville.