Lincoln has new leadership after last week’s election ousted one member of a conservative bloc that made headlines for pushing steep budget cuts that were ultimately reversed under public pressure.
Lee Rand, a right-wing councilor and supporter of the town’s polarizing Vice Chair David Ireland, lost reelection. He received the fourth most votes in a six-person race for two open seats. Democratic councilor Gordon Street and newcomer Bobbi Stormann won.
Rand’s loss leaves Ireland’s bloc one vote short of the 4-3 majority it has held on the seven-member council since Ireland took office last year. At a Monday council meeting, Street was elected vice chair, replacing Ireland, who remains on the board.
The change comes as the Penobscot County town of about 4,800 people prepares for an economic shift. Its former mill is slated to become home to the world’s largest battery system by 2027. Officials have been planning for an economy that no longer depends on one major employer.
They have been doing so under enormous political strife. Since Ireland’s election last fall, Lincoln has gone through four town managers, fought over a 12.8% budget cut passed in June that was later scaled back to about 3%, and weathered two failed attempts to recall Ireland and his allies.
Ireland won his seat in November 2025 after campaigning for the removal of the town manager at the time, who resigned after the election. Ireland’s bloc, which included Rand as well as former state Rep. Sheldon Hanington and councilor Eric Rojo, pushed through its budget cut in June, following through on promises to cut taxes sharply.
Police and fire departments warned the cut could seriously impact public safety. After weeks of protest by town employees and residents, the council reversed course, with Hanington and Rojo breaking from Ireland to back the town manager’s smaller cuts.
Under the conservative bloc, Lincoln burned through town managers at a furious pace. Andrew Frodahl, whom Rand recruited, backed out days before he was set to start in March. The council then fired his replacement in a 4-3 vote less than two months into the job. Its current interim town manager, Police Chief Lee Miller, is the fourth person to accept the job this year.
Ireland has brought a combative style of political discourse to town, often calling out political opponents on Facebook. His push for steep budget cuts as well as resurfacing allegations that he sexually assaulted his sister and daughter fueled both recall attempts. Ireland has repeatedly denied the allegations.
Rand, like Ireland, is a prolific social media poster. He often shares negative posts about Islam, many of them AI-generated. He also runs a Facebook group about biblical prophecy, with a focus on the end times.
Street and Stormann are poised to use their new power to create a social media policy for town officials. Stormann said the social media environment surrounding the council over the last two years may have deterred talent from coming to town.
“I think that Lincoln has a bright future with the mill site,” she said. “We just need to get our house in order, and it’s going to be a great, great community.”
She added that she supported Street as Vice Chair because she believes he will bring professionalism to the role.
Street said Stormann’s election made it clear locals were “demanding a change.”
“We will not let them down,” he said.
Rand and Ireland could not be reached for comment. On Wednesday, Ireland shared an article about a tax hike in the town of Norway, telling Lincoln residents to “buckle up” for something similar under the new council.
The morning after Election Day, he lamented Republican losses in a post to his Facebook followers.
“These are the times that try mens’ souls,” he wrote, echoing the famous line from Thomas Paine’s 1776 pamphlet “The American Crisis.”
Daniel O’Connor is a Report for America corps member who covers rural government as part of the partnership between the Bangor Daily News and The Maine Monitor, with additional support from BDN and Monitor readers.