The simmering tension that lurks beneath the surface of every meeting of the Alna Select Board in recent years boiled over into loud recriminations, a suspension of business, and a call to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday, Aug. 24.
As members of the public spoke over one another late in an otherwise staid meeting, Alna Select Board Chair Ed Pentaleri insisted Golden Ridge Road resident Jeff Spinney remove himself before the meeting continued. When Spinney declined to leave, Pentaleri left the meeting room to call the LCSO.
Rather than wait for a deputy to arrive to remove Spinney, the board unanimously voted to continue the meeting until 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 30. Shortly after the meeting ended, a LCSO deputy arrived, spoke to both parties, and left without further action.
The kerfuffle occurred as the board took up the fourth item on the slender five-item warrant. Reading from a prepared statement, Alna First Selectperson Ed Pentaleri announced the resignation of Greg Lumbert, the town’s code enforcement officer and plumbing inspector.
Lumbert did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Pentaleri said Lumbert brought more than 20 years of experience in law enforcement and municipal service to Alna. Lumbert was extremely competent, professional, and proactive, attending planning board meetings, writing regular reports, and working through a considerable backlog that predated his hiring in April, Pentaleri said.
“Greg was by far the best code enforcement officer we have had here in Alna for many years,” Pentaleri said.
However, Pentaleri said, the actions of “one individual” prompted Lumbert’s resignation. On 32 days over a 77-day span, the individual sent 77 emails to Lumbert, in addition to related text messages and phone calls.
Although Pentaleri did not name the resident in his prepared remarks, he was speaking about Spinney.
After the meeting, Spinney confirmed he was the individual Pentaleri was referring to.
“The second Ed started talking I knew where he was going with it,” he said.
Spinney and the town of Alna are currently engaged in litigation over a boat ramp Spinney built on his property in December 2020. After an ethics hearing in June, the select board formally censured Pentaleri and recused him from participating in issues related to the litigation, finding his actions as a private citizen opposing the boat ramp could contribute to an appearance of bias in his role as a town official.
Spinney has filed a number of complaints with Lumbert relating to action by the Alna Road Committee, resulting in gravel being added to the boat launch area on Pinkham Pond. Select board members Pentaleri and Coreysha Stone are members of the roads committee.
Spinney has also filed a number of complaints with the select board against Lumbert alleging, among other things, Lumbert lied in a draft report regarding the work at Pinkham Pond, refused to provide a permit or direction regarding earthwork Spinney wanted to perform on his driveway, and that Lumbert abdicated his role in evaluation/enforcement of town ordinances in shoreland zoning issues.
“Unfortunately, he heaped demands on Greg far beyond what we should expect anyone to do for a stipend of $6,500 a year,” Pentaleri said on Aug. 24. “He waged an abusive campaign against Greg when Greg refused to be drawn into supporting a variety of this person’s schemes.”
Pentaleri said he only became familiar with the scope of the situation after Lumbert resigned.
“The bottom line, Greg told me this particular individual was taking up more of his time than all of the other people in his other towns combined and the hassle just wasn’t worth it at this point in his life,” Pentaleri said.
The entire town of Alna is now subject to this issue because no one can obtain a plumbing or a building permit until a new code enforcement officer is found, Pentaleri said. It took a long time and lot of effort to find a capable CEO and now the process must begin again.
“Who would want to step into this role at any price, knowing the situation they might face because of this one individual?” Pentaleri said. “Nobody owes us anything and placing unreasonable demands on people just makes it harder and more expensive for us to fill these important roles.”
Following Pentaleri’s comments, fellow select board members Steven Graham and Stone indicated they would have preferred a different approach.
“I question the need to have gone through that that entire explanation,” Graham said. “I don’t disagree with what you described. I think it motivated our CEO to want to leave, but I question the appropriateness of responding in this public forum.”
“I think it is important for us all to understand why we are impacted by this,” Penateleri said
Ralph Hilton was the first member of the public to comment.
“I called (Lumbert) 17 times in a three week period,” Hilton said. “How come you didn’t take the time to trash me too? … It is real nice when you sit up front and attack a citizen of the town.”
Alna Fire Chief Mike Trask expressed disappointment in Graham and Stone for allowing Pentaleri to make such comments on the board’s behalf.
“This meeting was going along here pretty smooth and then you throw a monkey wrench in it,” he said.
As Spinney started to speak and people started over talk over each other, Pentaleri said the meeting would not continue as long as Spinney was present. When Spinney did not leave, Pentaleri stood up, declared the meeting in recess by the decision of the chair, and left the room.
When Pentaleri returned a few minutes later, the board voted to continue the board’s meeting until 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 30 at the town office, immediately preceding the board’s bimonthly working meeting. The final item on the Aug. 24 agenda is an update on Pinkham Pond.
Spinney subsequently confirmed he had sent at least 77 emails to Lumbert and the town office, but said insisting a public official does their duty cannot be harassment.
Spinney said the public has the right to communicate to their officials.
“I’ll come right out and say it,” Spinney said. “If they hire another CEO that tries to carry Ed’s water for him, I will clamp down on him the same way.”
After the meeting, Pentaleri said he was trying to put on the record activities the public doesn’t see. Week after week this same, small group of people show up and “try to pour sand in the gears,” Pentaleri said.
“I think it’s really rich how they are clutching their pearls when I am simply recounting what this person has been doing to us,” he said. “Nobody sees it because we just sit there and catch these javelins week after week after week.”
In other business Aug. 24, the board announced the town is looking for individuals to serve on a municipal climate action committee with the goal of helping Alna qualify for one or more rounds of significant grant funding available to improve climate resiliency and to reduce energy use and costs.
Pentaleri reported Alna received a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant underwriting the purchase and installation of a backup generator for the town office for a total project cost of $19,094.50. The cost includes an in-kind donation of Pentaleri’s time overseeing the installation in lieu of 10% matching funds from the town.
The Alna Select Board’s next regular meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 7 at the town office.
