Island Falls voters OK land sales

By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
    ISLAND FALLS — About 75 residents in Island Falls narrowly defeated three articles at a special town meeting last Wednesday.
    The special town meeting, which was held called for by resident Toby Lougee and not the town’s board of selectmen, was funded with private money. It was held at the VFW Hall with former state representative Henry Joy serving as moderator for the meeting after being elected in Article One.
    Article Two, which sought to stop the sale of all town-owned real estate until an ordinance could be put into effect to regulate the sales failed by a vote of 35-37.
    Article Three, which sought to declare a moratorium on the sale of town-owned property by means other than a sealed bid process failed 34-40.
    Article Four, which sought to require any public funds spent for the building of wood harvesting roads on town property to be approved by a vote of the townspeople after a public hearing also failed by a vote of 34-40.
    “The three articles would have changed the way town land is being sold,” Lougee said. “Since the town meeting last March, where a small group of voters gave selectmen authority to sell these parcels, land has been sold by a private realtor. Executive sessions have been used for these sales.”
    Lougee added publicly-owned land in most every community in Maine is sold via a sealed-bid process.
    “In my opinion, the rights of the people to know what is going on and to have a voice does not exist in Island Falls,” he said.
    Town Manager Dave Dionne did not attend the meeting since the board of selectmen did not call for it. He added that those selectmen that did attend went as members of the public and not as representatives of the town.
    Lougee said, in his opinion, the town manager should have been in attendance to address public concerns.
    “Our town operates under a town manager form of government,” he said. “The manager runs all administrative functions of the town. I would hope that a manager from some other towns, or a retired manager would have some input for us. The town, in my opinion, is in self-destruct mode.”