3 candidates vie for Rockland council seat

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ROCKLAND – Three City Council candidates. One open seat.

Incumbent Mayor Brian Harden is hanging on tight to his council spot, while candidates E. James Thompson and Anne Haggar are angling to unseat him.

Harden, 59, is running for his third term as a city councilor. He has been mayor for the past year.

The Rockland native has been active in city government on numerous committees and as a former chairman of the comprehensive plan committee, a member of the Rockland Public Library building committee and Rockland Public Library Endowment Association.

Harden has managed The Reading Corner bookstore on Main Street for more than a quarter century. He’s served for three decades on various municipal boards and committees, including eight years on the comprehensive plan committee. He is a member of the Rockland Historical Society and was chairman of the sesquicentennial committee, planning the city’s 150th birthday celebration.

The incumbent mayor has a law degree from The American University in Washington, D.C., although he has never practiced law.

Haggar, 49, a rehabilitation counselor for the state Department of Labor, has lived in Rockland for three years after moving here from the Bangor area, where she lived for 11 years. She grew up in Worcester, Mass., where she attended Worcester State College, earning a bachelor’s degree in communication disorders and psychology.

Haggar has two master’s degrees: one in pastoral counseling from Assumption College in Worcester and one in rehabilitation counseling from Northeastern University in Boston.

Thompson, 69, is a retired vice president of Maine National Bank and retired as a chief warrant officer from the U.S. Coast Guard. He graduated from Thomas College with an associate degree in banking and is a graduate of Northern New England School of Banking.

He has served on many boards and committees, including the comprehensive plan committee and as a past president of Rockland Rotary Club, Rockland Chamber of Commerce and Rockland Lobster Festival director.

If elected, Haggar is offering her assistance to the community to help resolve its issues. She asks people to tell three of their major concerns.

“I’ve been faithfully watching the [televised] City Council meetings since I arrived in Rockland, Maine,” Haggar said, noting she was “brought up to always give to others and help people whenever the opportunity arises.”

Thompson is seeking election to “improve on what the current council is doing.”

“I think we can better control spending and make a stronger effort to keep property taxes in line,” he said.

Thompson wants to eliminate wasteful spending, he said, and operate the city through “line item budgeting with strict oversight by the council.”

Harden wants to continue his role as a councilor. He said that has involved stability, dedication and courage. “These three things put me through six years,” he said, and will “help make this council move forward successfully.”

Harden said he worked to stabilize property taxes, has dedicated much of his life to the city and has the courage to “do what is best for the city and what’s progressive whether or not it’s popular at the moment.”

On the controversial train issue, Thompson said he is glad the train is back in Rockland, but is unhappy that Maine Eastern Railroad management has not resolved the noise and diesel fume problems.

“With the right approach, I think we can get good results,” he said, adding, “I think the train could be parked elsewhere overnight. It seems like a resolution that is reasonably simple.”

“I support the train as a form of transportation that gets stronger and takes [passengers] to Boston and beyond,” Harden said. “But I want the train to be as good a neighbor as it can be with the neighbors around it.”

Harden suggests getting railroad officials and neighbors to talk to resolve the issues.

“I’m in favor of some type of permanent transportation,” Haggar said. “It is a dire need. It provides people with opportunities.”

Haggar, too, recommends residents and train owners work out “some realistic policy.”

“I’m definitely for the train having frequent trips for feasible public transportation,” she said. “There are many people with disabilities that don’t have the luxury of having a driver’s license.”

All of the candidates support the ongoing effort to make Rockland an official Coast Guard City, a designation that comes from the powers that be in Washington, D.C. The title is given to cities that strongly support and promote the Coast Guard’s presence in their communities.

All three council hopefuls also view the city’s harbor as a valuable asset that needs special attention in terms of future economic development.

“I think the harbor is a jewel,” Thompson said. “It can be a pinnacle to get people here. It needs sprucing up.”

On giving tax incentives to businesses, Thompson said the city needs to be cautious with programs like the Pine Tree Development zones because the money saved by businesses given tax breaks is ultimately paid for by taxpayers.

“Job creation in Rockland is important and it helps the tax base,” Harden said, noting that if he had set up the Pine Tree Zone program, he might have done it differently. But he concedes that it already is established. “We should take advantage of the benefits that come from the state.”

Haggar said there should be some sort of balance in the amount of tax breaks given to businesses based on size.