Newcastle, by the slim margin of 49-42, resolved “to defend democracy from the corrupting effects of undue corporate power” at annual town meeting June 18.
The resolution, a response to the 2010 decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in the case Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, calls for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
The court’s 5-4 decision ruled that government cannot ban political spending by corporations in candidate elections, leading to the rise of the super PAC, a political action committee that may raise and spend unlimited amounts of money, including from corporations and unions, to campaign independently for candidates for federal office.
The desired amendment would establish that “only human beings, not corporations, are endowed with constitutional rights,” and “money is not speech, and therefore regulating political contributions and spending is not equivalent to limiting political speech.”
The resolution also instructs Newcastle’s federal and state representatives “to enact resolutions and legislation to advance this effort.”
Rep. Jon McKane, R-Newcastle, was first to speak against the resolution as a distraction from more important issues at all levels of government.
State legislators “will have to put this first instead of some of the other things that are a little more important to the people of Maine,” McKane said.
He said, at the federal level, “we’re talking about pushing aside national security” in order to address the resolution.
Newcastle resident Rosie Bensen questioned the basis for McKane’s dire warnings. “I’m wondering where the language is that says you have to drop everything else and do this first,” she said.
“When a whole town says ‘We want you to do this,’ you better darn well do it and something is going to be pushed aside,” McKane said.
McKane also questioned whether Newcastle voters had enough information about the “profound repercussions” of a constitutional amendment and suggested “informational meetings” to address the alleged information gap.
He also cautioned voters that the resolution has its origins in a national political movement.
“Do we want our little town, with all the business that we have to do, to be involved in that political movement?” he asked.
McKane did not specify what movement he was referring to. A number of U.S. cities, towns and at least one legislature have passed similar resolutions.
Other residents, like Leonard Duffy, said they came to town meeting specifically because of their enthusiasm and support for the resolution.
“A small town like this can have a voice in whether giant corporations continue to control this planet,” Duffy said.
“We little people are now getting a chance to voice our concerns,” Stephen Dixon said. Dixon didn’t say whether he would support the resolution or not. Regardless of the outcome, he said, “we get a voice and I’m excited about that.”
Pat Hudson said “it would be a mistake” to pass the resolution because the town hasn’t “done enough study” of it. “I don’t think this is the type of thing we should be working on right now,” she said.
Peter Glueck said the matter should be decided at a state or national election. “I think it is wrong for a town, as an entity, to endorse or not endorse it,” he said.
“This is a democracy and this is legally on the warrant,” Gary Bensen said in response to Glueck’s assertion. He then moved to end debate.
The motion passed, as did the article.
The article regarding funding requests from non-profit organizations resulted in the second-closest vote of the night.
The requests totaled $41,968 this year, up $4178 from 2011. The Newcastle Board of Selectmen and the Finance Committee recommended rejecting all requests for increases.
Gary Bensen moved to accept the original requests.
Bensen is a member of the Skidompha Public Library board of directors. The library requested an $1820 increase, from $16,641 to $18,461.
“Newcastle has supported Skidompha Library since 1905,” Bensen said. The request for an increase is the first in 11 years, he said.
He said 84 percent of Newcastle residents have used their library card in the last 12 months.
Alan Pooley also spoke in favor of the request. “We have one of the finest libraries in the country,” he said. “I hope you will support it.”
Dixon, another member of the library board, concurred, noting the library’s 2010 receipt of the Presidential Award for Excellence for volunteerism. “It makes sense to support success,” he said.
The voters approved Bensen’s motion, 57-28.
An amendment to the town’s land use ordinance also sparked some dissent.
Newcastle Land Use Ordinance Review Committee Rob Nelson described the amendment as a small “first step” and said the committee’s work would continue with public workshops in the fall.
The amendment creates a new district, District D, along Rt. 1 and near the village, but does not change the rules for the district. The review committee intends to revisit the possible rule changes for the district at this fall’s workshops.
The amendment also institutes a “differential growth cap,” which alters existing limits on the total number of building permits the town issues each year, as well as the number any single applicant can receive.
Finally, the amendment shifts the responsibility for review of “special exception uses” from the Appeals Board to the Planning Board.
The changes troubled some residents.
“This is an enormous amount to digest in one go-around and my sense is that I’m really not sure what I’m going to be voting for at this moment,” John Grant said.
Grant expressed concern about the size of the new district.
Pooley and Planning Board Chairman David Bailey encouraged adoption of the amendment.
Bailey described the change in the growth cap as more friendly to certain types of development. “There isn’t a developer in the state of Maine that would put money into a project where he was stuck with six permits every two years,” he said, referring to the existing cap.
The article passed, 64-26.
The voters also passed a fireworks ordinance, 72-19. The ordinance prohibits the use of fireworks within 100 feet of a public way.
The Damariscotta River falls within the definition of a public way, town attorney Peter Drum said in response to a question from Kit Hayden.
The voters passed a three-year extension of the interlocal agreement with Damariscotta for joint public works operations 87-5 and several municipal budget articles, all by wide margins.
The first vote of the night, however, may have been the most historic, as, with just a few residents in opposition, the citizens opted to vote on all articles electronically.
Small, remote control-like devices were distributed to every voter and articles were projected on a large screen in front of the stage in the Lincoln Academy gymnasium. Votes were cast by pressing 1 (yes) or 2 (no) as moderator Don Means gave the cue following discussion of each article.
Town officials say they believe it may be the first open town meeting in Maine to feature electronic keypad voting.
Maine Municipal Association spokesman Eric Conrad said that as far as he and MMA’s team of lawyers know, that was the case. It’s difficult to say for sure, however, because, while many municipalities approach MMA for advice about such issues, there’s no requirement for them to notify the organization of their voting method.
Pooley called for a straw poll at the end of the meeting to determine whether those present liked and want to continue to use the devices. The clear majority of those present indicated that they did.
The beginning of the meeting featured tributes to three longtime public servants.
Newcastle dedicated its annual report to former First Selectman Phil Wright, who died April 11 at the age of 57.
Wright served as first selectman from 1993-2004, “doing the work of a town administrator in the days before Newcastle had one,” according to the dedication.
Town Clerk Lynn Maloney presented a plaque to Lucia Wright, who accepted on behalf of Wright’s daughter, Gabriella Wright.
Brian Foote, the chairman of the Board of Selectmen, gave flowers to Maloney to recognize her 20 years of service to the town.
Finally, Hudson presented a gift to Ellen McFarland in recognition of her eight years of service – two on the governance committee and six on the Board of Selectmen. The meeting was McFarland’s last as a selectman.
McFarland, during a short speech, encouraged citizens to volunteer for service. The town is currently trying to fill two vacancies on the Finance Committee, one on the shellfish committee and an alternate’s position on the Planning Board.
For more information or to volunteer, call Town Administrator David Bolling at 563-3441.
