PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Controversy over membership in a group that oversees Presque Isle’s industrial park has prompted a city councilor to resign after his second meeting.
James Carroll said Thursday he resigned following Wednesday night’s regular council meeting because he felt councilors mishandled an issue of representation on the Presque Isle Industrial Council board, which oversees Skyway Industrial Park.
The city of Presque Isle formed the industrial council in 1961 to attract new businesses and industry to Skyway Industrial Park. Led by Executive Director Tom Powers, the board includes nine other members: two city councilors, two Central Aroostook Chamber of Commerce members, the city manager, the city economic development director and three at-large members.
Carroll’s resignation is the latest development in a string of disagreements between the city council and industrial council over who should be allowed to serve on Skyway’s board.
The industrial council has sparked controversy since January, when City Councilor Garry Nelson, who owns a business in the industrial park, was appointed to the board.
The board’s bylaws were changed two years ago to stipulate that no business owner or lessee in the park could serve on the board. The bylaws were amended in February to prohibit just at-large members with businesses in the park from serving.
On Wednesday night the bylaws were amended again to include conflict of interest provisions and allow any citizen to serve on the industrial board. Carroll abruptly left the city council meeting after the vote.
“I did resign last night over my opinion that the industrial council issue was handled incorrectly and with gross [lack of] oversight,” Carroll said Thursday. “I ethically don’t want to serve on the council anymore, but I do appreciate the opportunity to serve the city.”
City councilors in January voted to appoint Nelson and Councilor Craig Green to the board. Nelson and his family own Aroostook Trusses at the industrial park. Following controversy over whether Nelson’s appointment violated bylaws, the city council voted in a special Jan. 24 meeting to rescind the appointments. Green reported having mutual funds in businesses in the park.
City Council Chairman Kevin Freeman maintained Nelson’s appointment to the board did not violate the bylaws, because the industrial council bylaws don’t apply to city council membership, only to at-large directors.
At a Feb. 6 meeting, the Industrial Council Corporation, which meets yearly and includes the councilors, the city manager and Powers, voted 5-3 against amending the bylaws to prohibit people who own property in the park from serving on the industrial council.
The group then voted 5-3 to adopt bylaw language regarding conflicts of interest that would apply to at-large members of the industrial council only, and not city council or chamber members.
Two industrial council members resigned, saying they believed the conflict-of-interest language should apply to all industrial council members.
On Wednesday, following advice from city attorney Richard Currier, the membership group voted 8-1 essentially to return to the original bylaws set by the city in 1961, which allow any citizen to serve on the industrial council board, but added extensive stipulations regarding conflicts of interest.
Under those guidelines, anyone who has a conflict of interest regarding an industrial council vote will have to recuse themselves from that vote. If they don’t recuse themselves, the board will require them not to vote on that issue, according to the bylaws.
Nelson said he was sorry the situation had grown into a controversy that distracted from his original intent to serve.
“For this reason, I’m removing my name from consideration to be an industrial council board member,” Nelson said. “I will use my efforts here at the city council to support the activities of the industrial park, which I am currently committed to, and other developments in the city.”
The city council then elected Freeman and Councilor Jeff Willette to serve on the industrial council. Both own local businesses but neither are located in the industrial park.
What the city will do to fill Carroll’s position was uncertain as of Thursday.
This story has been amended to correct the industrial council board bylaw timeline and conflict of interest changes.
