On June 27, at its final meeting of the FY23 term, the outgoing Select Board took action regarding committee reappointments.
Chairperson Brian Sites said the reappointment timeline changed to ensure continuity because the new Board would not be meeting until after July 4th. Town Manager Diane Barnes added, “[Reappointments] were done late last year. They should have been done before the terms expired on June 30.”
NYFV asked the Select Board to clarify this decision and why it was scheduled for June. According to Selectperson Amy Haile, “I can’t speak to the historical perspective you reference, however when determining when we would vote on reappointments, we realized that we wanted to do so while the terms were still current (June) instead of when they would have expired (July).”
The Select Board vote included reappointments to municipal positions such as assessor, animal control, and town clerk, as well as volunteer committees. The June 27 vote was a departure from expected protocol. Since 2013, the new Select Board has voted on reappointments at the start of the term, except in 2020 when the vote was done on June 16.
The first scheduled committee meeting for FY24 was a Planning Board meeting on July 11. The Select Board failure to reappoint adds 3 vacancies to North Yarmouth’s list of committee and board openings.
Stephen Demelle (Shellfish Conservation Committee), Paul Metevier (Planning Board), and Paul Napolitano (Zoning Board of Appeals) were not reappointed. Reappointment of Demelle failed due to lack of a motion; Selectperson Paul Hodgetts made a motion to reappoint Metevier, but did not receive a 2nd; a vote for Napolitano failed 2-3.
Of the candidates eligible for reappointment, Barnes confirmed Demelle had not responded. Sites explained options available to the Select Board for the Shellfish Conservation Committee vote. For all other positions, there was no discussion, and Board members did not share reasons for their votes or actions.
NYFV spoke with Paul Napolitano and Paul (Chip) Metevier about the Select Board vote. Both have lived in North Yarmouth for decades. They raised their families, here, and have been active members of the community, previously serving on other volunteer committees. They are upset with the Board’s decision and lack of explanation.
Napolitano and Metevier said they were emailed by the Town Manager prior to the June 27 meeting and confirmed they were seeking reappointment.
No one from the Select Board contacted either candidate prior to the vote. Each stated they were not given a reason why they were not reappointed. The town has not contacted either candidate to officially inform them of the decision or to thank them for their service. Metevier said he learned of the decision when Selectperson Hodgetts was talking with him days after the meeting.
For them, it demonstrates a lack of respect. They think this type of behavior by town officials will make the committee vacancy problem worse.
The Maine Municipal Association Municipal Officers Manual cautions officials about how they handle “failure to reappoint”. The guidance does recommend a letter or conversation to thank the volunteer for their service.
Napolitano said it is unlikely he will volunteer for North Yarmouth again. He thought the timing of the vote “seemed odd”. In a conversation with the Town Manager, he was told his “appointment expires June 30, so the Board needed to fill the slot before expiration.” He did not understand the urgency. Because of the July 4th holiday, there were no meetings scheduled and the town offices would be closed. He thinks it was a move to ensure he was not reappointed. In March 2022, Sites abstained from voting for Napolitano's initial appointment to the ZBA, stating he thought it was “weird” Napolitano had resigned from the Select Board but was now seeking a seat on a volunteer committee.
Metevier said, “Volunteers are not paid. We do this because we want to” and shouldn’t be taken for granted.
On July 18, Metevier went to town hall to apply for the ZBA and reapply for the Planning Board. He spoke with the Town Manager about his frustration. “Diane apologized,” he said. But he still feels the Select Board should explain why it acted to block his reappointment. “I deserve to know why I was removed.” He says he’s demonstrated he's qualified to be on the Planning Board. “I’m a numbers guy, and I keep informed. I know property” and challenges the town faces with its drinking water.
Metevier asked the Town Manager what the process will be to fill the vacancy with Barnes stating she would turn it over to the Select Board.
The Planning Board supported reappointment of both Metevier and alternate Alex Urquhart having discussed it during their June 14 workshop. Several Planning Board members were surprised and “caught off guard” by the Select Board decision regarding Metevier.
In 2022, the Select Board unanimously approved the recommendation of the Planning Board to promote Metevier from alternate to voting member at its July 5 meeting. Referring to the request to promote both Metevier and Sanford Peabody, Sites stated, “These are individuals who have been involved in the Planning Board processes for a while. So they were not, there's not a huge learning gap there.”
The Select Board has not yet responded to questions about who made the decision to schedule the reappointment vote before the end of the term or who was involved in the process.
NYFV attempted to contact Stephen Demelle for comment but did not get a response before publication.