Caribou council candidates outline competing plans for growth, riverfront, housing and a scaled police station

Three candidates vying for two seats on the Caribou City Council presented differing priorities at a public forum that highlighted shared concerns about economic development, housing and the city’s long-running police station project.

Incumbent candidate Daniel Bagley, candidate Laurie Knight Bair and candidate Benjamin Tucker answered questions from moderator Jason Parent on topics that included downtown and riverfront redevelopment, blight and vacant properties, housing incentives, the proposed police station and the city’s tax burden.

The forum offered a broad view of where the candidates align and where they diverge. All three said economic growth and expanding the tax base are central to relieving pressure on homeowners. “Without significant new businesses and residents coming in, soaring costs are going to cause taxes to go higher and higher,” said Daniel Bagley, who said he has served on the council for three years. Bagley called the interaction of rising costs and population loss a “death spiral.”

Benjamin Tucker, a telecommunications engineer and repeat candidate, said economic development should be driven by competition and fewer regulatory barriers. “I think economic development is first and foremost driven by competition,” Tucker said, calling for a…