Despite their recent resignations, two Houlton Town Councilors will appear on the November ballot.
Town Council Chairperson Jane Torres and Councilor Alexis Brown, who resigned along with three other councilors in the aftermath of Town Manager Cameron Clark’s felony arrest, are each on the ballot for two open three-year terms.
But despite five recent council resignations, there are only three open seats — two, three-year terms and one, one-year term — to be decided on Nov. 4.
Former councilor Sue Tortello is running unopposed for the one-year term.
The rash of council resignations ignited voter concerns over who would appear on the ballot, but election official and Assistant Town Manager Khylee Wampler said the ballot remains the same.
As of Thursday, no one has formally withdrawn, Wampler said.
According to Maine law, a candidate may withdraw before the ballots are printed by filing a written notice with the municipal clerk. Otherwise the name remains because the ballots have been finalized. A candidate can still withdraw from the race even though their name remains on the ballot. The municipal clerk will post a notice for voters regarding the withdrawal.
In the event that either candidate rejects the councilor position, if elected, the remaining councilors will appoint someone to the role, Wampler said.
It is not clear if Brown will resume her former councilor role if elected in November. Torres said on Thursday that she is unsure if she will accept if she is elected.
Additionally, declared write-in candidates Brandon Carmichael and Carl Young are also vying for the two, three-year council seats.
On Tuesday, three men were appointed to one-year terms by Councilors Edward Lake and Eileen McLaughlin, restoring the council’s quorum of four members and a chairperson.
McLaughlin terms out of her seat in November, but Lake remains, along with the newly appointed councilors, leaving three seats to fill in the Nov. 4 election.
The continuing town saga that has been raging since Clark’s Sept. 25 arrest and incarceration exploded during an emergency town council meeting Oct. 10.
Torres resigned after the council voted to place Clark on administrative leave. At the same time, Councilors James Peters and Erin Matthews also resigned, leaving the town with no governing body.
During the meeting, Torres and Matthews declared their continued allegiance to Clark despite placing him on leave.
A week earlier, just hours after Councilor Jon McLaughlin resigned, Brown, who was appointed to the council earlier this year after Councilor Mark Horvath, resigned. She said she relinquished her council seat because, at the time, the council chose to keep Clark on the job.
It had become clear that her perspective differed significantly from the majority of the council, she said.
“My morals and ethics will not allow me to continue supporting positions and decisions that I cannot in good conscience uphold,” Brown said in a letter she sent to the Bangor Daily News at the time. “At this time, I must acknowledge that my voice is not clearly heard within the chamber and as such I cannot effectively serve in this role.”
Until placing Clark on administrative leave last week, the council maintained that the pending charges against Clark did not affect his ability to do his job.
While the declared write-in candidates are not listed on the ballot, voters can write the names in when voting, Wampler said.
Houlton polls open at 7 a.m. Nov. 4 at the Houlton Recreation Center downtown and close at 8 p.m.
