Following resignation of Chris Cabot from Planning Board, a replacement chair has yet to be identified. A special Planning Board meeting on October 4 was called to elect a new chair. No vote was taken, but bylaws were amended.
Board Secretary, Jeff Brown, has been working to identify a candidate from among current Board. Brown polled members to gauge their willingness to be chair. According to Brown, town staff suggested he speak with each member to ask if they would accept a nomination. No regular member, including Brown, want the role.
Both the town charter and Planning Board bylaws permit the secretary to preside over meetings in the absence of the chair. However, no provision is outlined for when both officers cannot attend.
Brown will not be at the next business meeting on October 11, which includes a public hearing. To avoid cancelling, Brown submitted a creative solution to the Select Board. The proposal would require the Select Board to approve voting member Paul (Chip) Metivier reverting to alternate status and promoting alternate Paul Whitmarsh to regular member.
Brown said two members recommended Whitmarsh to lead the Board. Kimry Corrette offered to resign, and Metivier asked to revert to alternate to allow Whitmarsh to become a voting member and eligible for chair.
On October 3, the Select Board voted 2-3 to reject the motion. Selectpersons Berry, Perrin, and Haile challenged the proposal. They further stated they did not support Whitmarsh being promoted to regular member and needed more time to consider the options.
Using a new appointment process, the Select Board had appointed “Trey Milam as an alternate to the Planning Board with a term expiring on June 30 2025, and move him to the next vacant regular position term, expiring June 30 2025.” Whitmarsh was selected as the second alternate out of six applications.
Selectperson Paul Hodgetts supported the motion. “When we did the process of, not hiring, but picking, who was going to go where Trey was the first one. And I think you guys thought he would move up to chair, and he doesn't want the chair. And Paul Whitmarsh was the second pick between me and Amy, to move up. So Paul Whitmarsh should definitely be the one moving up.”
The Select Board action questions the authority of a board or committee to provide input on membership and choose its officers. It also leaves a critical board without an executive officer. The Planning Board has had three members resign since June, including two chairs.
Brown contacted Maine Municipal Association (MMA) to explore solutions. Following the Select Board vote on October 3, the best option available to avoid cancelling October 11 public hearing was amending the bylaws to allow voting members to elect a temporary chair to preside over a meeting in the absence of both officers. Changes were approved, 6-0.