With three candidates running for two city council seats, Rockland residents re-elected an incumbent councilor as well as a candidate new to city politics.
Lisa Westkaemper won election to her first term on the council, securing 1,020 votes. Incumbent councilor Valli Geiger secured a second three-year term on the council with 768 votes.
Coming up just shy with 757 votes was candidate Gregory Mason. Rockland residents cast 1,638 ballots in Tuesday’s election.
In her time on the city council, Geiger has focused on how Rockland can increase its housing stock. According to the Courier-Gazette, Westkaemper believes that Rockland should take a creative approach to using the city’s existing buildings to increase housing.
With the port city seeing an influx of cruise ships, last month Geiger voted in favor of increasing the passenger fee the city charges cruise ships. Westkaemper favors the fee increase, according to the Courier-Gazette, but said input from cruise ship companies has been missing in discussions about how the city should handle the influx in traffic.
Westkaemper moved to Rockland from Texas in 2013. She is a former arts administrator and serves on The Millay House board of directors. Geiger is a nurse.
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