Four candidates are running to fill the position of first selectman in Dresden, after Trudy Foss resigned with a year left in her term.
Sabrina Doray
At 25, Sabrina Doray does not have the same experience as the other candidates, but wants to use that to her advantage.
“It’s been pretty stagnant in the town of Dresden for quite a while,” Doray said. “We have the same people doing the same things over and over, and I want to try to get the younger community involved with the town.”
Doray works in housekeeping at Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick and has been a Dresden firefighter since she was 18. If elected, one of her top priorities would be to improve the selectmen’s relationship with the fire department.
She also wants to improve communication between town government and the public, and hopes to be accessible to residents with questions.
Donald Gleason Jr.
Donald Gleason Jr., 63, would prioritize expanding internet access. He has experience helping nonprofits secure grants and wants to apply that knowledge on the board.
He has worked at Bath Iron Works in engineering, materials, and information technology, and as a program manager for New York’s state technology agency.
Gleason believes his experience with technology could help improve operations at the transfer station, boosting online engagement and making it easier to purchase tokens.
“I believe Dresden needs help and I have the skills to fill that need,” Gleason said in an email, citing greater transparency from town government and maintaining steady tax rates as issues he wants to focus on.
Gleason has a bachelor’s degree in wildlife biology and a master’s degree in management.
Dwight Keene
Dwight Keene, 68, who served a three-year term as second selectman from 2016-2019, hopes to bring his experience back to the board. He said it can take a while for a new selectman to get up to speed, and if he is elected, it would cut down on the learning curve.
Keene wants to finish Foss’ term, which expires in June 2021, and is unsure if he would run again.
Keene holds college degrees in management and accounting, is a retired long-haul trucker, and currently works as an ed tech at Dresden Elementary School.
He wants to improve communication between town government and the public, including by making sure the minutes of selectmen’s meetings are posted on the town website.
He also wants to expand broadband access in Dresden, noting that public meetings being held via Zoom are inaccessible to many people in town who do not have adequate internet speeds.
John Rzasa
John Rzasa served two one-year terms as first selectman in 2005 and 2010. He did not respond to an interview request.
Rzasa is a U.S. Navy veteran of the Vietnam War. He was in the Navy for 20 years and has worked as a police officer, including in Boothbay Harbor, and in security at Maine Yankee Atomic Power Co.
The polls will be open at Pownalborough Hall from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesday, July 14. Absentee ballots can be turned in until 8 p.m. on election day.
