Edgecomb’s special election to fill a vacancy on the board of selectmen is Saturday, Dec. 5. The polls will be open at the town hall from 1-7 p.m.
“Even though it appears there’s one person on the ballot, we encourage as many people to come out and vote and show support for the candidate,” said Mike Smith, chair of the board of selectmen. “I think it’s a great way for people to step into office — with a lot of support behind them.”
Dawn Murray, the only candidate on the ballot, introduced herself at the selectmen’s Monday, Nov. 30 meeting.
Murray grew up in Texas and served in the U.S. Marine Corps for 21 years. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a law degree.
After leaving the Marines, she joined the U.S. Coast Guard and spent 11 years working as a judge advocate before becoming a federal budget manager and personnel manager.
“I was working with several million dollars at a time,” Murray said. “That sounds like a lot of money to people, but as far as my department, it was a small budget, so I do know how to stretch money.” She retired in 2017.
Murray moved to Maine so she and her husband, Ray, could live closer to his family in Boothbay. “We chose Edgecomb because of the school, for one thing,” she said. “The reputation is stellar.”
She has three children — the oldest is in the Coast Guard, stationed in Virginia. The younger kids are in third and fourth grade at Edgecomb Eddy School. Murray serves on the Edgecomb School Committee, but has said she will step down if she wins the selectman’s seat.
Murray has dedicated her life to public service and her yearlong break after retirement made her realize how much she loved it.
If elected, she wants to help grow Edgecomb’s population by advertising its central location. “We’re kind of like the pathway to adventure,” she said. “To go to Rockland or Boothbay, they all go through here.”
She also wants to reduce Edgecomb’s minimum lot size for home construction. Under Edgecomb’s land use ordinance, any lot in a shoreland district has to be at least 2 acres. Murray believes it could be 1 to put less of a burden on residents.
“You can certainly rest assured that the same dedication I gave for 35 years to the federal government, I would love to give to our own town and make this the best place you could possibly think of,” Murray said.
