Oct. 5—BATH — When asked Wednesday afternoon for their thoughts on the upcoming election for sheriff in their county, many Bath residents said they hadn’t heard much.
Tourists carrying shopping bags flew by as a handful of voters stopped on sunny downtown sidewalks. Many said they had not yet researched the candidates. Some recalled hearing signals of criticism accompanied by the words ‘shoot Lewiston’, but were unaware of the details.
The response was the same in other Sagadahoc County communities: Topsham, Bowdoinham, West Bath and Phippsburg.
A few voters said their community is clearly divided over who they support, while others did not want to talk to a reporter for fear of being judged by others for expressing their political views. Most people who have turned down a job interview say they haven’t been following the race or the candidates at all.
Sergeant Aaron Skolfield, a Republican, is challenging four-term incumbent Sheriff Joel Merry, a Democrat, on the Nov. 5 ballot.
And whether they like it or not, last year’s mass shooting in Lewiston loomed over the race, with the governor coming very close to an endorsement.
The sheriff’s department was warned twice about a Bowdoin man’s deteriorating mental health and threats of violence before he killed 18 people in Lewiston on Oct. 25. The commission that investigated the shooting specifically criticized Skolfield for not using Maine’s yellow flag law to take away the man’s guns. .
At a news conference last month, Gov. Janet Mills said the shooting was the result of a “failure of human judgment,” particularly by Skolfield. She urged people to read the committee’s report before casting their votes. But while she didn’t explicitly recommend either candidate, she hinted that Skolfield was not right for the role.
Skolfield has rejected the report’s findings, saying at a news conference Tuesday that he believes the commission was politically motivated.
Nicolas Hamlin, 45, from West Bath, said he decided to vote for Skolfield because he “speaks passionately about doing better work.”
“No one can deny that the Lewiston shooting was horrific,” Hamlin said. “I think a lot of things could have been better. With that in mind, I would be inclined to see a changing of the guard.”
Hamlin said he first met Skolfield at a candidate event in the county this year. He hopes whoever is elected sheriff will be more communicative with the public.
“Transparency is extremely important,” he said. “Why don’t we make sure everyone knows why everything does what it does?”
Although the committee specifically addresses Skolfield and the department, 80-year-old William Foster of Bath does not believe the findings provide a legitimate basis for criticizing either candidate. The shooting has “confused” the election, he said.
“Such gun violence is not something that a police force can properly organize and combat because these are just such random acts by individuals with access to weapons that kill people quickly,” Foster said.
Three bright blue and white signs adorn his lawn, endorsing Kamala Harris for president, Denise Tepler for Maine Senate District 24 and Merry for sheriff. But Foster said he doesn’t support Merry just because he’s a Democrat.
“My judgment in terms of having a board isn’t really determined … by a political bias, it’s more about who can do a good job in the future,” Foster said.
He proudly displays the signs and has submitted a letter to the Press Herald supporting Merry’s re-election because he believes the sheriff plays a vital community-oriented role.
He said Merry has a solid record as a leader, having served the province for four terms and keeping crime rates low. His opponent just doesn’t have the same record, Foster said.
“Sheriff’s offices are probably the most predictable and reliable source of law enforcement in these political communities we call counties, in a place where many communities really don’t have their own township capacity to provide quality public safety through law enforcement . Foster said.
Debbi Brooks, 60, from Bath, said she has no problem with Merry’s current leadership but has not yet researched either candidate. She said she wants to vote for a sheriff who will represent her with respect and has strong communication skills, and that local elections could be even more important than the presidential race.
“If we have concerns in our community, the sheriff would be someone we would go to first and foremost,” Brooks said.
But some voters, like 71-year-old Walter Whetstone of Phippsburg, plan to keep their votes within their party. As a “solid Republican,” Whetstone said he is more concerned about the top of the ticket.
Whetstone hopes the future sheriff will be responsible and fair.
“I don’t really have any knowledge of the current sheriff,” Whetstone said. “I know they’ve come under a little bit of fire because of the Lewiston shootings. You really have to understand that to be able to comment.”
Maine residents can register to vote online or by mail until Oct. 15, or in person anytime before the general election ends on Nov. 5 at 8 p.m.
Voter registration cards can be filled out at city offices or town halls, at any Bureau of Motor Vehicle branch, at most social services offices or at voter registration drives, according to the state’s voter guide.
Absentee ballots must be requested by October 31 and received by the county clerk by November 5 at 8 p.m.
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