WOODLAND, Maine – For the second time in two months, Woodland residents arrived at their town office to find their Select Board’s meeting abruptly canceled.
On Tuesday, over a dozen residents gathered outside the office around 5:30 p.m., when Thomas Drew and Kathy Ouellette, the two remaining Select Board members, were set to meet in the town garage. While there, residents and Ouellette learned that Drew had decided not to attend the meeting.
A similar scenario occurred in September when Drew did not show up, leaving Ouellette and others outside the town office. The two board members have publicly disagreed over scheduling and public notice of meetings.
Their conflict comes at a time of contention for the small town of over 1,200. Earlier this year, employee shortages caused the town office to be closed for two months. After a former board member resigned, Ouellette was voted in during a special election in June but she and Drew’s disagreements have often led to dysfunctional meetings and distrust between residents and town leaders.
Drew had been upset with Ouellette and board chairperson Harold Tardy when they postponed a Sept. 19 meeting without him present and allowed residents to vote on the matter. He chose not to attend the rescheduled meeting on Sept. 26 in protest.
Tardy had resigned days before the Sept. 19 meeting for health reasons. Drew and Ouellette eventually held a public meeting in October. But prior email correspondence revealed contentious disagreement over the proper way to reschedule board meetings.
Outside the town office Tuesday, Town Clerk Bridget Coats said that Drew came to the office mid afternoon and stated that he would not attend the meeting because he “did not want to deal with it.”
Drew was not immediately available for comment on why he chose not to attend.
Ouellette said that information on the cancellation was not posted to the town’s website until almost 5 p.m., leaving many residents without timely notice. The meeting was set to begin at 5:30 p.m.
The board had planned to discuss a revolving renovation fund of $39,015 for Woodland Consolidated School, steering committee appointments, Road Commissioner Paul Pelletier’s monthly report, possible upgrades to the town’s TRIO accounting software, a potential member for the town’s board of appeals and planning board reserve funds. Drew and Ouellette would have met in executive session to discuss a tax abatement.
Coats would have appointed Drew or Ouellette as the new chairperson in lieu of Tardy’s resignation. Coats’ previous attempt to appoint a new chairperson caused controversy last month when she called Ouellette’s name instead of using a legally sanctioned method, such as a coin toss, drawing straws or picking a name from a hat.
The latest meeting cancellation frustrated residents who said they wished the board members would set aside their differences.
“It’s sad when we cannot even get a meeting going and pull the town together to make it work for the people,” said Woodland resident Ted St. Pierre.
Resident Bill Thomas said he would like clearer answers as to why the board’s meeting was once again canceled, especially from Drew.
The Woodland Select Board typically meets on the third Tuesday of each month. Coats said she is uncertain if the board will reschedule November’s meeting or wait until the next regularly scheduled meeting Dec. 19.
Woodland will hold a special election December 4 to replace Tardy on the board from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the town garage.
