Hampden council candidates clash over taxes, services and development at League forum

HAMPDEN, Maine — Four candidates vying for one open seat on the Hampden Town Council debated how to curb rising property taxes, prioritize town services and encourage economic development at a League of Women Voters forum moderated by Barbara McDade.

In opening remarks and responses to a prepared question on balancing services with affordability, candidates framed two principal approaches: trim or reprioritize services to ease taxpayers’ burden, or pursue economic development to broaden the tax base. Hugh Porter, David Swihart, Perry Anton and Eric Jarvey each emphasized different levers to protect seniors and working families.

Porter pointed to steep tax increases this year — citing total municipal budgets that he reported rose from about $22 million (FY ’23) to nearly $28 million (FY ’26) and an assessment-related mill-rate increase — and urged the council to distinguish “need versus want,” prioritizing sidewalks, sewer and water projects that support residents and local businesses. “I want lower property taxes and that may mean lower spending,” Porter said.

Jarvey framed the issue as a community choice that must account for legal obligations, noting that union contracts and state statutes limit what the council can cut. He proposed a transparent public process asking residents which services they would accept reducing to lower taxes. “There has to be a joint decision between the community and town staff,” Jarvey said.

Anton, a retired police chief, emphasized investing in town staff and in economic development to expand the tax base. He called for attracting “viable businesses” to raise commercial tax revenue while protecting the town’s small‑town character, and said the council must “empower” staff while verifying their work.

Swihart, a Navy veteran and recent Hampden resident, said the council should represent a wide range of residents and explore partnerships to avoid duplicate spending — for example, negotiating shared use of RSU 22 school facilities rather than building a taxpayer-funded community center. Swihart also announced his endorsement of Hugh Porter in his closing remarks, saying Porter has “more experience in key areas.”

On the proposed Quirk Sportsplex and other private investments, candidates generally agreed private investors are leading the project and that it could draw out-of-town visitors and spur adjacent business growth. Swihart said the Sportsplex is privately funded and said the town should seek cooperative arrangements with RSU 22 for public use of existing school facilities. Jarvey and others warned of practical challenges in relying on school facilities and noted that private development can still create maintenance obligations for the town (for example, public safety needs tied to industrial growth).

When asked about small businesses and the viability of a laundromat, candidates diverged. Anton said a laundromat would serve residents without cars and benefit from improved transportation links. Jarvey and others cautioned that laundromats have failed in the past in a town of Hampden’s size and said such ventures are best left to private entrepreneurs, possibly supported by town incentives or grants.

Candidates repeatedly cited the comprehensive plan as the framework for evaluating infrastructure projects. Jarvey and others said projects should align with that plan and be assessed for long-term maintenance costs, likely funding sources (including USDA and other grants), and net tax impact. Several candidates warned that deferring maintenance can increase long-term costs.

The forum, organized by the Bangor Area League of Women Voters of Maine, lasted through a series of audience questions and candidate exchanges. No formal actions or votes were taken during the event. The moderator reminded voters that the election is on February 10 and urged attendees to contact candidates before casting ballots.

Reporting note: The transcript contained multiple inconsistent spellings of local names and candidate names; quoted speaker names and spellings in this story reflect the forms the speakers themselves used when identifying at the forum (Barbara McDade; Perry Anton; Hugh Porter; Eric Jarvey; David Swihart).