ISLAND FALLS, Maine — About 75 residents narrowly defeated three articles dealing with the sale and use of town-owned land during a special town meeting on Aug. 22.
The special town meeting, which was 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 elected to serve as moderator.
“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 said publicly owned land in most every community in Maine is sold by 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.
During the special meeting, an article that 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 37-35.
Another to declare a moratorium on the sale of town-owned property by means other than a sealed bid process failed 40-34.
And a third 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 40-34.
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 town, or a retired manager would have some input for us. The town, in my opinion, is in self-destruct mode.”
I live in a town near Island Falls and have been watching this situation for a while. I am sure BDN did the best it could with the info given by Mr. Lougee unfortunately the information provided here is false and incorrect.
For example Mr. Lougee states in the article ““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.”
Well first of all Mr. Lougee misrepresents the town meeting. The fact is that like all articles approved at the town meeting the authorization to sell this land was approved by a majority of the voters attending there town meeting. I got a copy of the warrant and the voters approved the selectmen to sell parcels of town owned land less than five acres, non contiguous, and with no commercial value. These are small lots of land that the Town has had for years that were determined by the elected representatives of the citizens to not be needed for any public purpose. By selling these small lots the town will generate revenue both from the sale and future taxes by putting the land back in private hands. This new revenue will reduce the need to raise tax rates in the future.
Secondly Mr. Lougee’s claim that “land has been sold by a private realtor. Executive sessions have been used for these sales” is also untrue. The fact is no land has yet been sold. It is true that a realator was selected to market the properties and get the town the best price rather than selling by sealed bid. The selectmen solicited proposals from local realators and chose one from those proposals. What the article does not mention is that one of the co-organizers of the town meeting to oppose the sale of land was one of the local realtors not chosen by the selectman. She submitted a proposal and then when her proposal was not selected started a facebook campaign of false information to oppose the sales that were approved by the citizens.
Mr. Lougee also knows being a former selectman himself that executive sessions are completely proper and appropriate when selectman are negotiating any contract that public disclosure could compromise. What he doesn’t say is that it is well known in the area that when he was a selectman he used to meet privately to discuss town business with other selectman.
Mr. Lougee is right that public property is usually sold by sealed bids. But he also knows contrary to his claims on facebook that this is not required by law. If a town believes, as Island Falls seems to that they can get a better return by marketing through a realtor they can do so. One has to wonder why Mr. Lougee opposes trying to get the best price possible for this land through nation wide listing and called instead for sealed bid sale limited to Island Falls residents (of which he is one).
When Mr. Lougee says “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,” what he really means is that his ability to get his way through false information no longer exists. The citizens voted at the original town meeting to approve the plan that the selectmen they elected put together. They voted again at this special town meeting to support the selectmen’s plan. Mr. Lougee simply doesn’t like the outcome of the vote. Far from the selectmen taking away the citizens rights it is Mr. Lougee and his facebook friends who are trying to gin up opposition based on fear, false information and accusations who are trying to overturn the citizens town meeting votes.
The citizens should not forget that it was while Mr. Lougee was selectman that the town’s major employer closed, that the town passed on the opportunity to get the manufacturing factory for a dollar and the contract for water system upgrades were signed without penalties for non performance. When Mr. Lougee says “The town, in my opinion, is
in self-destruct mode.” he is partially right but it is he and others
who use facebook to incite distrust, dissent and division who are
encouraging the destruction. Those of us watching from nearby with friends and family in Island
Falls are concerned. It seems the current selectmen are working hard to clean up the messes from previous years and start to move the town forward. They don’t need Mr. Lougee and others who contributed to the towns downturn to be dragging at their heels and blocking progress.
By the way I am not using my real identity because I choose not to be the subject of the slander and defamation Mr. Lougee and others have put out through their facebook discussion site.
Wonderfull post…. Very honest and accrurate. Devision, fear, and hate do not work. Thank you for taking the time to write this response and I completely agree with you not using your real identity… Some people love to tear down not lift up..