John O'Connell John O'Connell, for three years chairman of the Boothbay Harbor Board of Selectmen, resigned his municipal position as of June 8 and was sworn in as Lincoln County Commissioner on June 9. (Photo Robin Beck)

John O'Connell, for three years chairman of the Boothbay Harbor Board of Selectmen, resigned his municipal position as of June 8 and was sworn in as Lincoln County Commissioner on June 9.

The swearing in took place at the Lincoln County Courthouse where Superior Court Clerk Sharon Simpson, a dedimus justice, issued the oath of office.

O'Connell, nominated by the Republican party at its caucus May 20, was appointed by Governor Angus King on May 27. He replaces long-time Commissioner M. Robert Barter, also of Boothbay Harbor, who resigned in April after pleading guilty to molesting a teenage boy in Augusta last year.

O'Connell, who assumed his new role at his first County Commission meeting on Tuesday, June 15, represents District I of Lincoln County which encompasses Boothbay, Boothbay Harbor, Southport, Wiscasset, Westport and Alna. Two other districts contain the remaining 13 county towns represented by Commissioners Jim Gallagher of Damariscotta and Bill Blodgett of Waldoboro.

O'Connell brings municipal, county and state level political experience to his county job. He served five years as a Boothbay Harbor selectman, served on the town's Budget Committee and on the Zoning Board of Appeals. He chaired the Comprehensive Plan Committee and was president of the Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library board of trustees.

At the county level he has been finance chairman of the County Republican Committee and currently sits on the county's Budget Committee. Involved in state politics, he served on Jim Longley's successful campaign for U.S. Congress in 1994 and has been active with Fair School Funding, Maine School Choice and the Coalition for Compassionate Care of the Dying.

A resident of West Boothbay Harbor since 1979, O'Connell, 50, has run his own financial planning practice since 1985, the year he became an American citizen. Born and raised in Ireland, he graduated from Trinity College in Dublin and then earned a Master's in Business Administration at the University of Maine in 1973.

He is married to Genie (Waugh) O'Connell, a music teacher at Boothbay Region Elementary School, and they have two children, James, 18, and Maeve, 11.

As County Commissioner, O'Connell will help oversee county operations, including an annual budget of $3.6 million to run the Sheriff's Office, Communications Center, county government and courthouse functions, and county planning.

``It's an interesting position,'' said O'Connell, comparing the commissioner role to that of town selectman, ``with different kinds of responsibilities and more of a policy component... acting as a resource for towns, providing leadership for towns and advocacy with state government.

``I'm pleased with the [county] staff's enthusiasm,'' he said, ``the elected and appointed officials have been great. They work together nicely as a team; there's a great cohesiveness in how they operate and how proud they are of Lincoln County. Lincoln County has a good reputation statewide...

``The county has an identity,'' O'Connell added. ``It's a very historic county, incorporated in 1760 when it covered three-fifths of Maine and ran from Small Point up to Nova Scotia... Lincoln County means a lot to people; in other counties, it's just a name on a deed.''

One thing he looks forward to is having more interaction with state government, advocating for towns with state agencies and acting as a liaison or facilitator for state and federal grants.

``For Lincoln County, with so many small towns, it's important to have the county to advocate,'' O'Connell said. ``Small towns like Southport and Edgecomb can't match up with the state. That's one thing we do -- we can be there for small towns when they want us to be,'' he said.

He sees the Route 1 congestion in Wiscasset as a challenge that's ``been studied to death'' and which deserves action now on a Wiscasset bypass.

``Regrettably, it's been called a linear parking lot,'' he says, ``it should be more than an obstacle to overcome. It's a major drawback to doing business in the county.''

Economic development and county planning are other issues of great interest to him. The Commissioners are working on reinstating a Lincoln County planning office and will seek proposals from firms this summer, aiming to hire a professional planner by Sept. 1.

With his experience in running small businesses and understanding the realities of the local employment situation, O'Connell feels strongly the midcoast is not the ``gold coast'' it is made out to be. One of his priorities is to help attract and retain well paying year-round jobs to the region.

And with his financial background and fiscal conservatism, he hopes to promote more cooperation among towns to discourage duplication wherever possible.

``No town has tax dollars to waste,'' he said to the Republican caucus.

O'Connell's term extends until Jan. 1, 2001. He currently plans to run for office so he may continue to serve a full term as Commissioner beyond that date.