Morton
Mahoney
Voters in Falmouth elected Alisa Conroy Morton and Sean Mahoney to the Town Council and Bridget Cronan and Leslie Zamer to the School Board on June 11.
There were no incumbents in either race, though Sean Mahoney was previously a member of the council from 2012 to 2015.
Morton secured 1,056 votes and Mahoney earned 1,461 out of 4,091 total votes cast for five town council candidates. Mahoney and Morton will replace departing Councilors Hope Cahan and Amy Kuhn.
While campaigning, Mahoney told the Northern Forecaster that he’s keen to help the town navigate constructing affordable housing and “thoughtful development” in commercial zones. He wants to help maintain Falmouth’s good schools, delivery of municipal services and conservation of parks and open spaces. He indicated his support for the Marshall Drive project, a plan to build 49 units of workforce housing off of Woods Road, which has received some pushback.
Morton, a communications and PR professional, said on the campaign trail that Falmouth’s biggest challenge is “responsibly managing growth and development while safeguarding the cherished essence of Falmouth.” On the Marshall Drive project, Morton has said she supports developing workforce housing – but has “concerns and questions” about this plan.
With the election behind them, Mahoney said that he’s focused on implementing the recently adopted comprehensive plan in a way that’s transparent to the community, and Morton is “excited to harness the collective knowledge of our council, town staff, and residents.”
School Board
Zamer
Cronan
Cronan and Zamer received 1,301 and 1,176 votes, respectively, out of a total of 4,273 cast for candidates. There were four candidates in the race.
Cronan and Zamer will take the place of school board members Whitney Bruce and Nicole Bezanson, who are both leaving because they have met their term limits.
Cronan and Zamer both strongly praised Falmouth schools, particularly the educators, while campaigning. Cronan is herself an educator and was a student in the Falmouth school system, Zamer has a background in accounting. They indicated they would not aim to take drastic cuts to the budget, and signaled an openness to a more restrictive policy around cell phone use in schools, which has been a recent focus of discussion among parents in Falmouth.
“My agenda is not niche, it is big-tent oriented: I want to responsibly manage our resources to provide a fulfilling educational experience for all our students, set our teachers up for success, and provide clear expectations for our leaders,” Cronan wrote in an email after the race.
Zamer did not return a request for comment before the newspaper’s deadline.
School budget
Residents also voted 1,777 to 540 to approve the school budget for fiscal year 2025 that totals $49.42 million, a $2.98 million increase from the fiscal year prior – or 6.44%. Existing personnel costs constitute 83.5% of the fiscal year 2025 budget.
In April, Falmouth Town Council voted to approve a budget that included $71.8 million for both the education and municipal expenses. The municipal budget for FY 2025 totals at $20.25 million, up $1.29 million or 6.8% from fiscal year 2024.
The town will raise $11.09 million through taxation, the school will raise $39.21 million in taxes to cover a portion of the $49.42 million budget, and Cumberland County will levy $2.24 million on Falmouth residents.
That translates to a projected mil rate, the amount of tax collected per $1,000 worth of property, of $13.38 for FY 2025. For a taxpayer who has a home worth $800,000, the median town assessed value in Falmouth, they can expect to pay $10,704.
This story was updated June 17.
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