1990

Medford Town Office

  I was asked to run for the Board of Selectmen (some are women), was nominated and elected in a quick vote at Town Meeting.  I was elected Chairman by the rest of the board.  Now I was the Tax Assessor in one place and the Tax Collector in another.  The Medford work was at night and on weekends and could be very time consuming - but - the pay was $1200.00 a year, it worked out to about five cents an hour.  I was to serve two terms while we lived in Medford.
  On the Brewer front we continued to receive more and more work to do.  In addition to property taxes we also registered vehicles and collect those taxes and fees, sold hunting and fishing licenses, dog licenses and a host of other things from time to time.  My Deputy, Sharon, and Tax Clerk, Linda, were busy at the counter, while for the most part my work was out back.  The counter was in a refurbished room that had been, years ago, the Police Department, my office next door had been a janitors closet!, it was small and cramped with two computers and shelves full of printout, my own printer and file cabinets, there was barely room to move.  All of that changed with a "re-build" after I retired.
  At home all four kids where with us for a part of the year, Jeff moved back to Portland some time during the year.  He had been riding back and forth with me to a job in Bangor.  Winter of 91-92 was colder than usual and the Subaru flooded easily so I kept spare spark plugs.  But changing plugs when it's -20 degrees (we didn't have a garage) out was miserable.  I'd change one plug, bring the tools in and put them under the wood stove to warm up, to back out and do another one, thankfully there were only four!  I think my hands are still cold, I wasn't able to do that with gloves on - I am a very poor mechanic, I tell people that I have the mechanical ability of a new born poodle.  Note:  Sorry poodle owners, no degredation is intended, and maybe poodles make great mechanicsd.
  And so it went, a few meetings everyweek of various sorts, lots of work and a great wife that could hold stuff together.  The kids weren't too bad either - one at a time - but there were four.

Brewer City Hall.  My off was the one two windows to the right of the door.

City Hall showing the Church Street Entrance



Tax Collectors have fan clubs!