LUBEC — Former Selectman Dan Daley challenged Chair Carol Dennison’s eligibility to hold office at Wednesday’s meeting of the Board of Selectmen, arguing she does not reside in Lubec.
Daley read aloud the section of the town charter stating that “only qualified voters of the town shall be eligible to hold the office of Selectman” and that selectmen “shall maintain a place of principal residence in the town during their term of office.”
Daley said Dennison’s primary home is in Trescott, where she lives with her husband, Ralph Dennison, the harbormaster.
Selectwoman Joanne Case agreed with Daley, saying that although she thinks very highly of Carol Dennison and appreciates her service to the town, she believes residency requirements must be upheld. Case cited her past opposition to the eligibility of a previous selectman who lived in Trescott.
An audience member said: “If you’re not laying your head in Lubec, you shouldn’t be taking papers out in Lubec. What you’re doing is opening a big can of worms.”
He warned that out‑of‑state taxpayers may expect to be eligible for local office.
Dennison, who has been challenged on her residency before, responded that her voting residence is in Lubec and that she is registered at the address of a property she maintains for her exclusive use.
She said she had spoken with the town’s lawyer, John Hamer, who also helped prepare Daley’s memorandum, and that Hamer supported her assertion that she has the right to claim Lubec residency.
Dennison accused other board members of spending less time in town than she does.
The board agreed to discuss the issue in executive session after the regular meeting and said it would return to the agenda once members have met with the town’s lawyer.
In other matters, residents brought a wide range of issues for the board to consider, including a complaint about town employees being used to work on school property and allegations that town contractors have damaged gravestones in several Lubec cemeteries.
Resident Dewayne Porter said workers mowing and maintaining the Olsen, Corey and Lamson cemeteries on Corey Lane have consistently damaged dozens of gravestones.
During a tour of the cemeteries this week, Porter pointed out circular mower marks on flat stones and chipped corners he said were likely caused by sloppy use of trimming equipment.
Porter, who has family buried in the Olsen Cemetery, said Wednesday night he has been trying for two years to raise the issue with the town but has received no response.
Town Administrator Suzette Francis said the town contracts with Arise Addiction Recovery and freelance lawn care workers to maintain the cemeteries, with payments coming from the Public Works budget.
Arise Addiction Recovery is an addiction recovery program founded in 2015 that holds support meetings in Machias, Belfast and Rockland. It provides employment opportunities for people in recovery.
Reached by telephone, Paul Trovarello, founder of Arise Addiction Recovery, said he was made aware of the issue a few weeks ago. Regardless of who was responsible, he said he was extending an offer to pay for repairs or replacement.
“As a pastor, I respect the dead and I respect the people of Lubec,” Trovarello said, “and we’re very thankful for the opportunity from the town to mow the cemeteries. Let us make it right.”
Porter said he will do his own repairs and is not interested in a financial solution.
“Those stones were picked out by my uncle, so replacing them would be like losing a part of the family,” he said.
Porter said he wants his family lots left alone and for the town to address the issue.
Dennison said Francis would look into it.
A separate complaint involved municipal employees working on school grounds. Resident Sandra Teran said Public Works employees on the town’s payroll have been used by the School Department to maintain and improve the grounds around Lubec Elementary School.
Teran filed a Freedom of Access Act request seeking documents showing how that decision was made, but said the town administrator could not find records of any conversations on the matter. Francis confirmed that was the case.
Dennison pointed out that South Street, which passes through school property, is a town road, and that the town should be a “good neighbor” to the school.
Teran responded that she sees no problem with town plow trucks clearing access to the school or providing other services, but reiterated that the lack of transparency around the arrangement is what concerns her most.
This led to a discussion about School Board meetings not being broadcast or recorded.
Wanda Reed, who serves on the School Board, told the Board of Selectmen she has asked for School Board meetings to be available for online viewing, and said that if the School Department cannot obtain the necessary equipment, the meetings should be moved back to the Town Office.
After extended discussion, some Board of Selectmen members agreed with Teran that the town’s arrangements with the school need to be formalized. The board is expected to investigate the issue and place it on a future agenda for discussion.
The Board of Selectmen also heard an update from Tax Assessor Marc Perry on his progress toward revaluing Lubec’s properties, and Code Enforcement Officer Alex Henry presented a fee schedule for the intent‑to‑build notification process.
Under Henry’s proposed fee schedule, which the board approved and is set to take effect Sept. 1, the town will replace the $20 flat fee permit with a system that charges by the square foot. Builders will pay 25 cents per square foot for residential structures, 20 cents per square foot for auxiliary structures and 35 cents per square foot for commercial structures. At those rates, a permit for a house measuring 1,600 square feet would cost $400.
Demolition permits will be free under the new rules.
Dennison asked Henry to draft a proposal for a sliding scale or reduced fee program for low‑income builders, which Henry said he would bring to the next meeting.
Perry provided the board with a detailed analysis of updated property values. Among other updates, he explained that federal changes are being made that will affect veterans’ property tax exemptions.
Under the new rules, all veterans — regardless of the war in which they served — will be eligible. Age restrictions have also been lifted, with larger exemptions available for veterans older than 62 and depending on degree of disability.
Eligibility will apply only to properties with a homestead exemption, meaning veterans will not be able to claim exemptions on second homes.
The board voted to renew Perry’s contract.
The board postponed discussion of the property at 63 Pleasant St. after being unable to reach the owner. The property, which has been declared abandoned, was the site of a stabbing and an arson fire last year.
Kenneth Kudrick, 30, was charged with attempted murder, burglary, reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon and arson, which police say left a 51‑year‑old man hospitalized and leveled the Pleasant Street home.
The property has since been declared a hazardous waste site because of asbestos siding, which has further slowed remediation efforts.
