Town History
Kathy Littlefield, long-time first selectperson in the Town of Waldo, retired in 2025 after having served for 53 years, most of those years as Chairman of the board of Selectmen.
Believed to be the longest serving elected municipal official in Maine, Kathy held several public roles over her years of service in addition to serving on the selectboard. She was founding member of the Waldo County Selectmen’s Association in 2003, member of the State Board of Environmental Protection (8 years), Waldo County Budget Committee (12 years); Waldo County Jail Committee board member, MMA’s Advisory Committee and was an active and respected voice on MMA’s 70-member Legislative Policy Committee dating back to the 1990’s.
Littlefield’s municipal activism dated back to the 1970s, when local officials pushed back against state government overreach, by forming a group called “Freedom Fighters.” That group insisted that local community control on most issues was far preferable to unfunded mandates from state government. Ultimately, “local control” became the law of the land in Maine and was incorporated into the Maine State Constitution.
Being a tireless advocate for the municipalities in her county, she also frequently testified before legislative committees to fight for the full funding of the State-Municipal Revenue Sharing program and for comprehensive tax reform, as well as to prevent unfunded mandates and the erosion of local control.
In 2017, Kathy was awarded the coveted Ethel N. Kelley Memorial Award at Maine Municipal Association’s 81st Annual Convention, which recognizes distinguished community service and is considered MMA’s most prestigious annual award. Then Maine State Senate President Michael Thibodeau, who represented Waldo County, penned one of many letters supporting Littlefield’s nomination for the award, writing that she “Has demonstrated a selfless concern for others in her community, while balancing sound fiscal responsibility for the town.” He went on to say that “Her willingness to take on difficult projects facing the town and bring them to successful completion has repeatedly impressed me… Her viewpoints are valued and based on sound judgement and experience.”
We thank her for her extreme dedication to the residents of the town of Waldo.
Waldo was first settled in 1806, and was incorporated into a town and named Waldo on March 17, 1845.
Located in coastal central Maine Coordinates: 44°27′47″N 69°5′37″W
The area was once part of the Waldo Patent, a large tract of land owned by Brigadier-General Samuel Waldo of Boston. It was first settled in 1811 by Henry Davidson, then organized as Waldo Plantation on July 6, 1821. The town was incorporated by the legislature on March 17, 1845, taking the name of its early proprietor.
A large portion of Waldo was rocky and uneven, unfit for cultivation. Some parts had arable soil, however, producing excellent farms and prosperous farmers. The town became noted for prize-winning cattle. It was also known for its forests, with much of the timber used for Belfast shipbuilding. The Wescott Stream provided water power, and by 1859 Waldo had seven busy sawmills. It also had one gristmill, some shingle machines, and a tannery. In 1870, the Belfast & Moosehead Lake Railroad began operating, its trains passing through the town.
~Information partially sourced from the town’s official Wikipedia page.