Hearing set on bid to abolish Brewer voting wards

BREWER – A special hearing has been scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 9, for Brewer residents to consider abolishing the practice of dividing the city into wards for election purposes.

The multiple-ward system is at least 70 years old in Brewer, but in recent years it hasn’t been used much except for county caucus elections.

City Clerk Archie Verow said the city, according to its charter, has to revise its wards every 10 years. This is the 10th year, and the topic of abolishing Brewer’s six-ward system is recommended to “streamline the process,” Verow said.

After the Sept. 9 hearing, which will take place midway through a regularly scheduled Brewer City Council meeting, the ward issue will be placed on the November ballot as a city charter amendment.

If ratified by voters, the city would abolish its ward system as of Jan. 1, 2004.

The ward system is prevalent in Bangor, a city that has more than three times the population of Brewer.

Brewer, which has about 9,000 residents, has a central location for residents to vote – the Brewer Auditorium. The facility has been the only place to vote for the past decade.

Until three years ago, the main floor was used for Wards 1-4, and the basement was used for Wards 5 and 6, Verow said.

Consolidating the voting action onto one floor at the Brewer Auditorium began three years ago, according to Verow.

Handicapped accessibility to the building was updated, and voting on one floor has proved popular with residents because it’s convenient and less confusing than the previous arrangement, he said.

Verow researched the history of government structure and voting wards in Brewer and found that before 1931, there were five wards with two aldermen elected from each ward. A mayor was elected at large. Voting places were located in Brewer schools.

In 1931, the city charter was amended to establish a city council consisting of five members elected at large. There was no election for a mayor. Voting places remained in city schools.

In 1967, the city charter was amended to establish a sixth ward. Voting places were located in Brewer schools and the Brewer Armory. In 1992, all voting was moved to the Brewer Auditorium, constructed in 1939.

In 1994, all voting was moved to the main floor.

In 1999, the auditorium was renovated to make it accessible for handicapped and elderly voters. An elevator was installed, and two ramps were built.