Five put early bid in for Houlton council seat Hopefuls look to fill recently vacated spot

HOULTON – The deadline is still several days away, but five people already have let town officials know that they are interested in taking over a recently vacated Town Council seat.

A replacement for former Councilor Dale Flewelling will be chosen when the group meets on Monday evening.

Flewelling’s seat became vacant less than a week after Election Day, when the former councilor abruptly resigned the position that he had held for more than one year.

Flewelling told a shocked board at the end of the Nov. 13 meeting that he was relinquishing his seat because he had “personal interests” that he wanted to pursue.

The Houlton resident, who mounted an unsuccessful campaign to win the House District 8 seat last month, was elected to the three-year council term in 2005.

Town Clerk Cathy O’Leary said after the meeting that the town would begin advertising immediately to find a replacement for Flewelling. Once the names are brought forward, the council will vote to decide who will fill the post.

Former Councilor Phil Bernaiche, the incumbent who lost his seat on Election Day, immediately submitted his name to serve as a replacement.

Elizabeth Childers, Galen Wilde, Sue Tortello and Michael White also vie for the seat.

Childers was unsuccessful in her bid for one of the two open council seats during last month’s elections.

Whoever is chosen to take over Flewelling’s spot will sit until the next municipal election.

Those interested in adding their names to the list of candidates can do so up until the meeting on Monday evening, O’ Leary said on Tuesday.