LUBEC — The Select Board approved a motion for a short extension on the closing date for sale of a tax acquired property at its regular meeting Wednesday. The home, which was foreclosed on for unpaid taxes but is currently occupied by a tenant, received an offer in June after the Select Board lowered the listing price.
Todd J. Carboni, the home’s former owner, remains a mystery to the town officials. After multiple attempts to reach him at his last known address failed, “We think he must be dead,” said Select Board Chairwoman Carol Dennison, who called the $90,000 offer a good one for the home.
The town had sent foreclosure notices to Carboni’s last known address but has been unable to reach him, and ultimately took possession of the foreclosed property even though it is occupied.
That occupancy made the property difficult to sell at the original listed price of $165,000, so last month the Select Board voted to lower that price to $99,000 and sell the property “as is,” without evicting the tenant.
The town has not been charging the tenant rent for the property, on the advice of the Maine Municipal Association, which has 1,116 square feet of living space.
According to county registry of deeds records, the property has $2,433 in unpaid taxes tied to an October 2025 lien, following a yearslong pattern of liens and discharges that began in 2012, five years after Carboni bought the property.
Monitor Local attempted to contact Carboni, last known to be living in Jewett City, Connecticut, without success.
The Select Board agreed to extend the closing date by one day, saying access to the property is responsible for the delay, and by changing the closing date selectmen won’t have to schedule a special session to meet about the final sale.
Dennison received high praise from resident Birgitte Delaney for the installation of a fence at a property on Pleasant Street. The property, undergoing maintenance, has proved a hazard for the town.
According to the Select Board, the fence is reusable. The posts are not cemented in place so it can be moved and reinstalled to shield any other damaged or tax-acquired property from public eye during periods of clean up or renovation, adding the total for the fence came in about $1,000 under budget.
The meeting took an unexpected turn during the public comment period, when resident John Delaney, sitting alongside his spouse Birgitte, questioned Dennison on her place of residence in accordance with the town charter.
Delaney asked, “Why does Ralph Dennison (spouse of Carol Dennison) have a homestead exemption in Trescott while the Lubec select chair gets a homestead exemption in Lubec?”
Dennison cited a prenuptial agreement between her and her husband, stating that she’s “allowed to maintain a primary residence in the town of Lubec,” because “his house is his and my house is mine.”
John Delaney went on to ask Dennison where she lives, to which Dennison replied she stays at both residences. The exchange continued with Delaney adding, “it’s an open secret that the leader of the town does not actually live in Lubec, and she lives in Trescott.”
Dennison said she has a ruling from Maine Municipal Association stating she “can maintain a voter’s residence and a primary residence,” which she said she “has had for 22 years in the same place.”
“It’s legal,” Dennison said. Delaney closed his comment, saying, “there is one sentence in our town charter, our guiding document for the town, it says select men shall maintain a place of principal residence in the town.”
Dennison agreed to look into Delaney’s concerns further.
The Select Board also sought to gain clarity on a request from Versant at the meeting. Reading from the request, Versant wants to add a brace pole to a Main Street coastal easement. The pole is designed to help prevent storm damage to existing structures.
The proximity to Lubec’s Safe Harbor Project was of concern to Dennison, who said “I just want to make sure it doesn’t get in the way of the project” designed to make Lubec’s coastal waters safer for residents and tourists alike.
The Select Board opted not to decide on the easement request without further investigation.
Correction: The subhead of this story was updated July 2 to reflect the property is being sold at just over half the original asking price; not much less than half. This story was updated July 3 to remove a generic scenery image of Lubec that unintentionally featured a property that is not connected to this story.
