Mary Dunham swears in Moderator Tom Saviello, her final official duty before retirement. Paula Kane

Town Officers: (left to right) Pam Searles, Tax Collector; Jerome Gilchrist, Third Selectperson; Maureen Haley, Treasurer and Deputy Tax Collector; Mary Dunham; Jane Thorndike, First Selectperson Photo by Paula Kane

Mary Dunham receives a gift from Jane Thorndike on behalf of the Selectmen. Paula Kane photo

AVON — The Annual Town Meeting of the Citizens of Avon, Maine convened at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 18 at the Avon Community Hall.

Mary Dunham opened the morning’s proceedings with the traditional invocation “for our Town and its People”. She first noted that it was Marylyn Bachelder who, many years ago, requested that this become traditional. There was some question at the time whether or not “separation of church and state” would prohibit this.

“Auntie May”, as she was fondly known by many, promptly pointed out that “our country was founded on our belief in God”. And that was that. The tradition has been carried on ever since.

Action on Article 1 to elect a Moderator to preside over the meeting was the first item on the agenda. A motion was made and seconded for Tom Saviello. Ballots were cast. Saviello was elected unanimously and duly sworn in. In turn, he swore in the new Town Clerk and Registrar of Voters, Sabrina Ellis, who later commented, “I’ve got some big shoes to fill…I’ve got a lot to learn…”

Saviello then led the gathering in the Pledge of Allegiance to the United States of America.

Before official action began on the remaining 55 Articles of the 2023 Town Warrant, Moderator Saviello introduced the Honorable Representative Randall Hall. Hall presented awards on behalf of the House of Representatives and the Senate of the State of Maine. The first was to Mary Dunham on the occasion of her retirement as Town Clerk and Tax Collector of the Town of Avon for 34 years of public service. Congratulations and best wishes were sent forth from the 131st Legislature and the People of the State of Maine.The second was to her husband, Bruce Dunham, who was unable to be present at the meeting, for his 59 years of service as Town Constable of Avon.

Hall also left business cards, which are now available at the Town Office for anyone who should need to contact him.

Selectperson Jane Thorndike next presented a special retirement gift to Mary from the Selectmen. Made by Mile Hill Metal of New Sharon, it was a metal sign featuring mountains, logging, lobsters, snowmobile racing, and, at the center, a star, which is for Avon.

“It represents Mary and how a lot of us know her,” Jane stated as she passed the gift to Mary, who accepted it with a somewhat teary, “Thank you very much.”

Jerome Gilchrist spoke briefly, expressing his gratitude in particular for her guidance when he first became a selectperson.

“She was always there,” said Gilchrist, “a lot of changes have happened over the years and Mary has adjusted very well to them.”

“The good news of Mary’s retirement,” he continued, “is that she is willing to help on a part time basis to support Sabrina…We appreciate that very much.”

“So you’ll still see Mary, but she IS retired!” he concluded, bringing a heartfelt laugh and an enthusiastic round of applause from those present.

Then began the process of working through the remaining 55 articles on the Warrant. For the most part, this moved along quickly, accompanied by the familiar litany.

“Do I hear a motion?”

“So moved.”

“Second.”

“Comments, questions, concerns?”

“All those in favor…It is a vote.”

Few questions were asked and little debate was required as all articles were approved as written.

The most discussion centered on Articles 33 and 36, which applied to fire protection for the ensuing year, necessary equipment maintenance, and engaging an engineer to design a salt/sand building. Regarding fire protection, the questions dealt with the fact that Avon’s fire protection is provided by both Phillips and Strong. A meeting is planned for the end of April to further discuss details regarding this matter.

Discussion on Article 36, “to vote to raise and appropriate the funds necessary to engage an engineer to design a salt/sand building”, included the point that this “will be a great opportunity for improvement”. Alternatively, “the bottom line” may be the closure of the State D.O.T. garage. A special Town Meeting will be required before final decisions can be made regarding this project.

A third Article that involved more discussion was Article 50: To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate a sum of money to further improve the Rosalyn Walli Ballpark/Rollins Playground. A carryover of funds in the amount of $2,124.82 is available. No additional funds were requested. The Article passed with the suggestion that a plan with specific needs/improvements be made, accompanied by costs for such. Following that, a committee might be formed and fundraising projects could begin.

Avon’s 2022 Town Report was dedicated to Mary and Bruce Dunham. The Dedication at the beginning of the document reads as follows: “Bruce has been a resident of Avon since his birth and Mary since she married Bruce 62 years ago. Mary has been our Town Clerk since 1989, our Registrar of Voters since 2001, and our Tax Collector from 2008 – 2021. Bruce has been our Constable of Avon since 1964. Between them, that’s 128 years of service! This Town has been blessed with dedicated people throughout the years such as these two. That’s what makes Avon so special. Our heartfelt appreciation and gratitude to you both.”

After the meeting, Mary shared some of her thoughts and memories from her years in office, mentioning especially the changes in elections.

“Back in the olden days when I first began,” she shared, “the elections were held at the old town building next to the Mt. Blue Road. Either Bruce or I went down really early in the morning to get the fire going in the old school house stove so it would be warm by the time the election opened for voting.

“Either Bruce or I or Janne and Jerry Haines got a bunch of wood and brought it inside, stacking it right by the voting booths close to the stove. This was how it was done prior to central heating and we all took turns keeping wood in the stove during the day and evening after polls closed at 8 pm and counting votes began. Novembers used to be much colder than they are now so in our spare time between tending to voters, we put plastic on the windows to keep it less drafty.

“We used to have an incoming clerk as well as an outgoing clerk, but they did away with the outgoing clerk quite awhile ago. Also, the 1st Selectperson was the Warden of Election Day. Janne Haines was the last Selectperson to serve in this capacity.

“There were no computers to keep voter lists and other pertinent election information back then. Everything was kept track of on paper and filed. Voter lists were typed on a typewriter and that took a lot of time. We could make copies by using carbon paper.

“Every part of the clerk’s duties today are done online now,” she continued, “Elections are directly linked to Augusta’s Election Headquarters and people can request an absentee ballot on the computer. Clerks must check the site often so that everyone gets their ballot in a timely manner. There are several ways today to receive an absentee ballot: by phone, vote in person, by mail, or picked up by a close relative and delivered.

“We used to take care of absentee ballots for service-related and people working outside the country, but Election Headquarters handles all of those now, which is a relief for the clerks.

“We have a voting machine today to handle people challenged by different issues, which is connected to Augusta. There are headphones and a keypad so everyone can vote. The machine records in Augusta and the ballot is delivered by the voting machine.

“I feel that our voting here in Maine is very well handled so everyone can have a chance to cast their ballot. We vote nursing home patients and senior housing for folks in person. With a phone call, I will visit private homes to accommodate anyone who wishes to vote. Maine has an excellent system and all clerks and registrars must attend a workshop every two years to keep updated on new laws and new ways of doing things.”