By Kathy Onorato
One of three write-in candidates will be elected to serve as the next Lincoln County Register of Probate, replacing the retiring Chester Fossett who has held the office since 1987.
The Register of Probate is responsible for the administration of probate court records, which includes execution of estates, with or without wills, appointments of personal representatives, guardians, and conservators, name changes, adoptions, marriage waivers, and genealogy research. The Lincoln County Probate Court also processes United States passports.
With no announcement of Fossett’s plan not seek re-election, no party declared a candidate in time for the June primary, therefore no names for Register of Probate will be listed on the November ballot. This has prompted three Lincoln County residents to seek the office with a write-in campaign.
Steve Gottlieb (D-Boothbay); Catherine Moore (R-Jefferson); and Ken Maguire (R-South Bristol) have all registered with Secretary of State to get their write-in votes counted in the November election.
According to Wiscasset Town Clerk Christine Wolfe, a voter must write the name of the candidate on a line provided on the ballot and also check the box next to the person’s name to have the vote be counted. Town clerks throughout Lincoln County will need to hand count all state ballots to count the write-in votes, Wolfe said.
Steve Gottlieb
Gottlieb, 51, currently owns and operates the Center Café in Boothbay, where he has lived for 22 years. He has received certification as an Able-Bodied Seaman from the Maine Maritime Academy.
Steve Gottlieb |
Before owning his own business, Gottlieb managed an industrial supply in Nobleboro for 15 years. He was also involved in contract negotiations, sales and administration.
Gottlieb said although he has never held public office, he has been very active in his local government. “People have encouraged me to run for selectmen or the planning board,” Gottlieb said.
Gottlieb said he has been busy researching and studying the 309 pages of Maine’s probate statutes. The historical aspect of the job including helping people with genealogy research has spiked his interest in the position, he said.
“It’s pure public service, in a non-partisan seat,” Gottlieb said. “You can’t bring any agenda, you can’t favor anyone or any group.”
Campaigning door-to-door, using mailers and making calls, Gottlieb has been introducing himself to Lincoln County voters and said he has been well-received.
“It’s been encouraging,” he said. “I think I stand as good a chance as anybody.”
Gottlieb lives with his wife Patricia and has raised two children, Ben, 22, and Kathryn, 19, who are both students at the University of Maine in Orono.
Ken Maguire
Maguire, 77, says he is seeking the office of Registrar of Probate in order to get back into public service.
Ken Maguire |
“I kind of miss it,” Maguire said.
The South Bristol resident once served as a firefighter, emergency medical technician and emergency management director. Maguire served as South Bristol’s town meeting moderator for 33 years. He also edited and published the town’s comprehensive plan.
Maguire holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Babson College and a Bachelor of Science degree from Boston University’s College of Engineering. He also majored in physics at Middlebury College.
At the University of Maine in Augusta, Maguire was an assistant professor and taught business and computer courses for eight years.
Maguire said his educational background makes him qualified for the job because it entails management and administration skills, areas of his expertise, he said.
“The job is about keeping the customers happy and the Judge of Probate happy,” Maguire said.
Maguire said he has been working full time on his campaign, going door-to-door and handing out palm cards.
“I talk to everyone I know,” Maguire said. “The best way to get votes is to say ‘hello’ to people who will be voting.”
Maguire served in the U.S. Navy Submarine Service during the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Vietnam War.
Catherine Moore
Moore, 43, has been serving as Lincoln County’s Deputy Register of Probate since June and has worked in the probate office for the past eight years.
Catherine Moore |
She graduated from Lincoln Academy in 1989 and attended Mid-State College in Auburn.
At the county level Moore has also worked in the Registry of Deeds Office. In Jefferson she has served as town clerk, election clerk, and a member of the planning board and the board of appeals.
She also served as chairman of Jefferson’s Bicentennial Committee and was a member of Jefferson Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary.
She said she is very familiar with what the job entails as she has worked alongside of Fossett for the past eight years.
“It’s not a job someone can just walk into,” she said.
During her time working in the Registry of Probate office, Moore said she has put in the time and dedication to learn the probate statutes and understands how the probate court works.
“Which makes me qualified for the position,” she said.
Moore said her campaign consists of the word-of-mouth from co-workers, family, friends, and door-to-do or visits.
Her large immediate family, and her extended family, are spread out all over Lincoln County and helping spread the word of her write-in candidacy, she said.
Catherine and her husband Matthew also own and operate Moore Automotive in Jefferson.