By Natalie Bazinet
Staff Writer
LIMESTONE — Though voting results from yesterday’s recall election in Limestone were not available at time of print, the selectpeople had plenty to say about the election during their last regular meeting on Jan. 2 — including two expressed opinions that the town should shut down if the citizens voted in favor of removing the three board members in question from office.
Yesterday’s recall election was the result of a petition circulated this fall to remove Selectpeople Tom Devoe, Jesse Philbrick and Gary O’Neal, and in an effort to “prepare for the worst and hope for the best,” Town Manager Donna Bernier explained to the board during the Jan. 2 meeting that they had the authority to change the number of signatures needed to pay the town’s employees and state fees from the required three signatures down to two for the five-seat board.
While the board ultimately approved the changes for treasurer’s disbursement, warrants for state fees and employee wage benefits with four votes in the affirmative, Philbrick and Devoe vocalized their personal desire to vote the other way. O’Neal was not in attendance for the Jan. 2 meeting.
“My view on this deal is [Fire Chief Paul Durepo] went and got a bunch of signatures, wants us out of here, if we’re voted out we need to shut the whole town right down — that’s my personal view,” Philbrick said to Bernier. “They asked for it and whatever happens, that’s the way it ought to be. I hate to be hard about it, but that’s my personal feelings.”
Bernier informed Philbrick that it would be pretty hard to shut town government down during this time of year, and Philbrick said that he knew that.
“They have created an awful lot of friction; made a lot of heartaches. All that motion was, originally, to save money. And if they can’t see that, they need to shut it down. Maybe they’ll wake up then,” Philbrick said.
The original motion referenced by Philbrick refers to a motion he made during an Aug. 15 meeting, which aimed to terminate the town’s contract with Fort Fairfield for a shared fire chief as of Oct. 15.
Devoe stated that he personally felt the same as Philbrick, “but I’m thinking totally of the employees of this town,” he said. “It’s not fair to them to drag them into this mess that’s been created.
Selectperson Marilyn King made the motion to change the policy on the number of required signatures, stating, “I know I’d feel the same way, but we do have a town to run, we do have roads to plow and if people aren’t paid, they’re certainly not going to work.”
Though it was on the board’s agenda for a second time to open bids for the 1982 ladder truck not long in use for the town, Philbrick’s motion to not open bids until the town received a letter from Fort Fairfield Town Manager Dan Foster authorizing Limestone to sell the truck, which is owned by both towns, passed.
Bernier informed Philbrick that while she hadn’t received a letter from Foster authorizing the sale, she did receive his approval.
“We talked about it and he knew that we were putting it out for bid, but an actual letter saying ‘you have my permission,’ no I did not [get a letter],” she explained.
Neither bid received for the truck was opened.
The selectpeople also revisited a topic brought up at their previous selectpeople meeting regarding the possibility of having a town purchase a community sign for “Rotary Park” to the tune of $7,500, with the $1,000 installation cost for the sign furnished by local clubs and organizations.
The idea didn’t get very far with the board during the Jan. 2 meeting.
“If the town is going to pay $7,500 for the sign, as far as I’m concerned the sign goes out there,” said Selectperson Tom Albert while gesturing to the town office’s street-front. Albert also voiced his concerns that the town should have been a part of the signage discussion from the start if the town was expected to pay for it, and that a community sign would make the small park look congested when placed next to the Town Clock and gazebo already installed in the park.
King expressed that while she thought a community sign would be a nice addition to the town, she didn’t think it was an expense the town should undertake at this point in time and referenced the budget cuts every department was faced with last year.
During the elected official’s report, King shared with the community her opinion on the recall vote.
“It is my feeling that a recall vote should never have been put in place, but because enough people signed the petition it has to be held,” she said. “To my knowledge, the three Board members on the Recall Ballot have never benefited from any action taken by the Board. Nor have they ever done anything illegal such as embezzlement of funds. I know that this action has upset and hurt them, as I know it would if this same action was taken against me.
“I think the three gentlemen should be given the chance to fulfill their original election term,” she added, “I think the two gentlemen who resigned should have fulfilled their election obligations.”
King also stated her opinion that there is no board of selectpeople or any board of directors anywhere who agree on issues every time something comes up.
“That is why we have discussions,” she said. “If the public or a board member thinks the board has erred in judgment, that person or persons should bring it to the Board’s attention and it should be addressed in a reasonable fashion.”
The next meeting of the Limestone Board of Selectpeople will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 16 at 6:30 in the Limestone Town Office.
Results from yesterday’s recall election will be printed in the next issue of the Aroostook Republican.
