Name: William J. Armishaw        

Age: 57

Position seeking: School Board

Address: 27 Burnham Road

Phone: 318-2821 (day) 318-2821 (night)

Occupation: Pilot, FEDEX Express

Marital status: Married            

Spouse’s name: Dianne Armishaw

Children: William, Victoria and Samantha

Highest Llvel of education completed: BA, economics

Name and location of school or university last attended: Villanova University

Organizations and activities: USMC/retired 

Top three issues in order of priority

1.  Wentworth Intermediate School redevelopment

2. School budget

3. Sports funding

Why are you seeking elected office? 

I feel that some of the issues facing the Scarborough School Board have gone unresolved and need immediate attention and resolution. My 20 years as a Marine Corps officer and the leadership training I received in the corps give me the qualities to assist in finding timely solutions to the problems facing the Scarborough school system.  

  For instance, environmental problems at Wentworth Intermediate School have been an issue for about eight years and while the teachers and students still suffer from illness, very little has been done. 

  I would like to ensure that all teachers and administrators know the proper principles for dealing with their fellow workers and students. 

As we all know, many issues can disrupt a good working environment, especially in a school and can lead to a decrease in outcome. With the proper training and techniques, teachers, coaches and administrators can deflate most issues so that the task at hand (learning) can be the utmost priority.

 These issues along with improvements to athletic funding are some of the reasons I am seeking election for a position on the Scarborough School Board.

Name: John D. Cole    

Age: 57

Position seeking: School Board

Address: 40 Arbor View Lane 

Phone: 575-9089 (day) 239-0268  (night), e-mail: jdcole@unum.com or jdcole@maine.rr.com

Occupation: information technology application managed services

Marital status: Married  

Spouse’s name: Beryl K. Cole

Children: Five grown children, two grandchildren

Highest level of education completed: college, BS/BA

Name and location of school or university last attended: UNE (Portland), U-Hartford (Hartford, Conn.), USM (Portland)

Organizations  and activities: Served on Scarborough Conservation Commission Committee for five years; citizen scientist for town-approved and funded vernal pool inventory and data collection project; Maine Principal’s Association, SMAA and KVAC wrestling tournament director; Maine Amateur Wrestling Alliance Board of Directors; Maine Interscholastic Wrestling Officials Association, certified official and board of directors; New England Intercollegiate Wrestling Officials Association, certified official; School Board, one term; chairman of School Board Capital Improvement Committee; Member of School Board Policy Committee; School Board liaison to vocational schools; chairman of Scarborough Sports Done Right; member of 2005 middle school building committee; Scarborough supporter for wrestling boosters and wrestling programs; youth wrestling coach, grades kindergarten through six.

Top three issues in order of priority:

1. Facilities with focus around Wentworth Intermediate School on near term and Wentworth Intermediate School building project on long term.

2. Funding, budgeting and planning with focus on transparency.

3. Administration and staff development and retention.

Why are you seeking elected office? 

My goal is simple: offering up the best education we can afford. No easy task today and yet I feel compelled and motivated to continue the partnership, collaboration and enabling of our administrators, staff, students, parents and all Scarborough residents to stay involved, keep focused on the end result and ensure our youth are competitive as globalization becomes their reality. We have many challenges as a town, so many items to address. I feel more ready now than ever, having completed three years being a member of our School Board. 

There is no better feeling than seeing a community get behind a common cause, shake up some dust and solve the issues at hand. I want to be part of the effort and solve problems. These are challenging times and we need people who are motivated to make a difference. I’m ready. 

Name: Aymie Hardesty

Age: 40

Position seeking: School Board 

Address: 4 Saratoga Lane

Occupation: Self-employed and stay-at-home mom

Domestic partner: Bob Trumpler

Children: Nicholas, 19, Brittany, 19, Devin, 15, Quinne, 13, Ian, 10, Collin, 8

Highest level of education completed: Graduated from University of Maine with BS in business management (but started with 2.5 years in chemical engineering).

Top three issues in order of priority:

1. Wentworth building and health issues

2. Continued nutrition and health education and services for students

3. Maintaining as many enrichment programs and special services as possible within our budget

Why are you seeking elected office:

I have been a resident of Scarborough for 12 years. Having had children in all levels of the school system, I have a unique perspective. In fact, two years ago I had a child each at Blue Point, Wentworth Intermediate, Scarborough Middle and High School.  For the past decade, I have owned a private preschool in my home, often working with children with special needs. More than 12 years of watching my children progress though the Scarborough school system has allowed me to see the evolution and changes we have experienced (curriculum, budget issues, staffing, programs, etc.). 

In my former professional career, I was a commercial loan officer for a commercial bank as well as the economic development officer for the city of Portland and thus have an understanding of how the economy can affect communities.  

My primary focus will be on meeting children, family and staff needs under these difficult economic times. The issues we currently face require that we work as a community to find creative ways to meet the needs of our students and educators. I believe that using the resources that exist in Scarborough and coming together to offer individual talents and skills can go a long way in helping our children and staff in these upcoming and difficult years. If elected, I look forward to serving Scarborough schools with passion and determination.