Eric Cole

Ward 2

1. Why are you running for City Council?
We are at a moment in time where decisions about spending, growth, and infrastructure will shape Lebanon for decades. I want to ensure those decisions are disciplined, transparent, and grounded in long-term stability. This community has given so much to my family over generations, and I feel a responsibility to give back through service.
My goal is simple: protect the financial health of our city, support responsible growth, and help ensure Lebanon remains a place where young folks , families, seniors, and small businesses can thrive for generations to come.

2. What skills and experiences would you bring to the position?
I bring the perspective of a lifelong small business owner and farmer here in Lebanon. In the private sector, you don’t get to spend someone else’s money — you’re accountable for every dollar that comes in and every dollar that goes out. If expenses outpace income, you don’t survive.
That reality forces discipline. It forces efficiency. It forces you to evaluate what’s working, what’s not, and to make hard decisions when something isn’t delivering results.
I also come from a family with five generations before me of public service in Lebanon — selectmen, councilors, mayor, state representatives, and a city tax assessor for 20 years. That history taught me that public service is about stewardship — respecting taxpayers, demanding fairness, and thinking long-term.
I believe that combination of private-sector accountability and a generational commitment to this community makes me well prepared to represent Ward 2 on the City Council.

3. What’s one thing you want other people to know about you?
My wife Susan and I will be married 30 years this year.  We’ve raised two beautiful daughters – the ninth generation on Ascutney View Farm, our family farm,  where we raise 100% grass fed, rotationally grazed Katahdin Sheep as well as operate a 2000 tap maple sugaring operation in the spring.

4. What are your top 2 priorities that you want to address if you win?
To ensure a thriving, diverse city for everyone to enjoy, we must first get our spending under control. With the help of the new Finance Advisory Committee (July 2026), it’s imperative that we carefully review present and future programs and projects, enforce disciplined budget oversight, and prioritize the reduction of long-term debt.

I’ve seen how city process impacts real people trying to invest in our community. Residents and businesses — small or large — should not feel discouraged from expanding, renovating, or investing because the process is slow, confusing, or unnecessarily costly.

Lebanon should be welcoming to those who want to grow their businesses, improve properties, and create jobs. A more efficient, transparent, and solution-oriented permitting process strengthens our local economy and broadens the tax base — at no cost to the city.

We need a city government that asks, “How can we help?”

5. Lebanon, like many other cities, is facing challenges with rising property taxes. If the city were required to reduce spending, which service or program would you consider for reduction first? Which should be protected most strongly from cuts?
The city needs to reduce spending.  Lebanon has seen an unsustainable increase in property taxes over the past three years. The effects of these increases are causing longtime residents to be fearful and question their ability to remain in their homes.   Some have already sold and moved away, not by choice but by necessity.  A lot of that has to do with the record amount of spending and debt the current city council has committed its taxpayers to over the last few years.  Every service and program will most likely have areas they can improve fiscally.  My hope is that not any one program would need to bear the entire burden of cuts or reductions.  This should be viewed holistically.  My focus is on disciplined budgeting, accountability, and making sure every tax dollar is doing real work for the people who pay it.  That’s how you protect essential services, respect taxpayers, and restore trust. Anything less is avoiding the real problem.

6. Lebanon is home to residents from widely varying economic, generational, and cultural backgrounds. Please share a few ideas for how to make Lebanon a place where these residents can thrive.
Lebanon thrives when people at every stage of life and background can afford to stay, put down roots, and plan for the future. That starts with keeping housing, taxes, and city services aligned with the real economic conditions our residents face—not just today, but ten, twenty, fifty years from now. We need to support a mix of housing types that serve young families, working residents, and seniors, while being honest about costs and long-term impacts on taxpayers. A city government that is responsive, transparent, and practical—one that helps small businesses succeed, protects essential services, and makes decisions with clear accountability—creates stability and opportunity across generations. When we respect longtime residents, welcome new neighbors, and focus on fairness and fiscal responsibility, we build a community where everyone has a chance to thrive.

7. What’s the best way for voters to reach you?
Email: ericcoleforlebanon@gmail.com