NORWAY — Anita M. Hakala has announced her candidacy for Selectperson in Norway.

She has had some involvement in the Town government, she says, in the past, serving on a Police Force Committee years ago and working on the AVCOG plan.

“I am, however, able to learn and understand town ordinances, as well as policies and procedures in a timely manner,” she notes.

“I have spent the last 50 years of my life as a nurse serving the Oxford Hills and portions of Androscoggin County. My educational background is a Master’s degree in nursing management, focusing on fiscal management skills as well as leadership skills.

“Having been a resident of Norway since birth, I truly care about our town and the residents here. I was fortunate to grow up in a family that ran Snow’s Marina, as well as being the daughter of Gordan Snow, an extremely respected builder and a business owner on Norway Lake. That experience helped me to understand the importance of community connection,” she says.

Hakala says it has been an awesome experience to see the growth of community involvement over the past several years and she
is aware of some of the issues facing the population: high taxes, what seems to be excessive spending, poor road conditions in some areas, and local economy in general. She says she expects that funding town services may become the biggest issue over the next several years. She hopes to spend time seeking any alternatives available to the town to meet ongoing concerns.

According to Hakala, she is not running for selectperson on a platform that implies she can easily solve those issues, but as an open-minded individual with the ability to listen to concerns and ideas of residents and to thoughtfully assess and research ways to help to solve issues or promote ideas.