In a regular meeting April 8, the Alna Board of Selectmen responded to a letter from longtime resident Chris Cooper and chose an engineer for the initial phase of the $522,000 road project.
Due to an increase in attendance, the meeting was moved to the town firehouse from its normal location at the town hall.
In a letter dated March 31, Cooper pointed out an “anomaly” in the selection of First Selectman David Abbott as the board chairman. The letter from Cooper read, “we elect a first, a second, and a third selectman. We do not elect a three selectmen and leave it to them to choose a leader.”
At a March 25 board meeting, Second Selectman Jon Villeneauve elected Abbott as the chair and Third Selectman David Reingardt agreed. The letter asserts that the role of first selectman entails more “burden” and is, per a longstanding custom, inherently an appointment as board chairman.
“I don’t see a problem with a board choosing its own chair,” said Villeneuve. “I appreciate your letter but as of now I don’t see a problem.”
Villenueve added that he was not doing “this to tread on history” but his understanding was that a board had the right “to choose its own chair.”
Both Villeneuve and Reingardt, on hand via speaker phone from a remote location, cited language from the Maine Municipal Association guide that supported a board’s right to make its own chair appointments.
“This is another example of how you need to act to keep it the same,” said Reingardt from a small card table to Villenueve’s right. “It can’t be the same just because it’s always been that way.”
In the letter, Cooper said he “would expect to reference this in no more formal or startling way than perhaps by making a small joke at my first selectman’s expense…but this has not been a normal election season in Alna. This board of selectmen was elected by a small minority of voters largely on the platform of regularizing and formalizing the way we do business…there will undoubtedly be a feeling on the part of many voters that a change is in the air.”
The lengthy debate became contentious when Cooper accused Villeneuve of being “smarmy” after he questioned whether Cooper could adequately speak for the entire wishes of the town.
“I do have 35 years of pretty close involvement in Alna politics,” said Cooper. “To build the future of this town around the Maine Municipal Association’s policy manual, which is not state law, and to ignore the fact that the town has done very well for itself for literally 200 years by electing a first selectman is wrong.”
In response, Villeneuve said “for the record, I don’t think I’ve ever acted smarmy.”
In other business, selectmen awarded an engineering contract to Abbott Engineering for spec work on the voter approved road project. The Durham based company’s bid came in at $2500, $60 less than that of Pine Tree Engineering of Bath with necessary “handholding” included, according to the board.
“It appears that Abbott not only has a price cap but he’s included some inspections while the work is in progress,” said Villeneuve.
The $522,000 paving initiative will cover approximately 5.8 miles of town road and is set to begin later this year. The Alna Board of Selectmen will next meet on April 15 at 6:30 p.m.
