The Town Clerk & Chief Brooks Want to PAY for the Use of One Voting Location in Lisbon Falls

Dear Editor,

At the July 15 Town Council meeting, a change of voting locations for the November elections was discussed and tabled to the August 5 meeting for a public hearing. Several places of interest were explored by the Town Clerk and Chief Brooks. Among those places of interest were the Lisbon Falls Christian Academy on Route 196 in Lisbon Falls and the Holy Trinity meeting room on Frost Hill Avenue in Lisbon Falls.

At a time when we are experiencing a tight budget with an estimated 3.5 percent tax increase, why are town officials even considering PAYING for a voting place when the town has two perfectly acceptable FREE voting locations, each convenient for residents on each end of town? The former Lisbon Elementary School in Lisbon (LES) and the MTM Center in Lisbon Falls both have ample parking space and are in convenient locations for our citizens. It was mentioned that parking at the MTM Center is not adequate but it has never been an issue in the past. Why is it an issue now?

The Lisbon Village residents are entitled to a convenient place to vote, as are the residents of Lisbon Falls. I/we, the taxpayers in Lisbon, would like to know whose idea this was and why it is being addressed now. I challenge Steve Eldridge, our Town Manager, to enlighten us.

A Concerned Citizen