Candidates for Rumford selectmen

To the Editor:

At the time of this letter, there are four declared candidates running for the office of Selectmen in the Town of Rumford. As a town, we need to make good choices as we face a higher and higher tax rate and a declining population.

Jeff Sterling is running for selectman. He represents the willingness to compromise. He is the one who has taken the lead in reworking the wind ordinance proposal after the voters rejected the first offer.

Frank DiConzo is running for a seat. He represents the desire to be truly fiscally responsible. He strongly believes that lowering the tax rate will spur economic development.

Eric Giroux is seeking office. He represents the concerns of young people who want to stay here in Rumford, make a living and raise a family.

The fourth candidate is Jolene Lovejoy, who represents the past and all that has been wrong in local politics. She fought against the secret ballot, even though it allowed more taxpayers to vote.

Jolene supported the special selectmen's rule that prohibited citizens from speaking at selectmen's meetings. She was one of the three town officials that misappropriated funds to pay an accounting firm to dig for dirt on Carlo Puiia in his position as tax collector in an attempt to remove him as a candidate for town manager.

Jolene also supported both illegal contracts for Steve Eldridge, which cost the town tens of thousands of dollars. We cannot afford to go back to that kind of recklessness.

We have two open seats and we have three worthy candidates. Let us choose for the hope for our future and not for the return to dirty politics.

Ron Theriault,

Rumford