HOULTON, Maine — A recent town shakeup and uncertainty about future leadership will force Houlton voters to decide on a bond developed by officials who are no longer at the helm.
In September, both the Houlton Town Council and the Board of Budget Review approved the ballot question, “Shall the town be authorized to commit and borrow up to $2.2 million to improve and maintain roads and sidewalks?”
Nonetheless, since the September vote on the referendum question, Town Manager Cameron Clark, the official seeking the funds, was placed on administrative leave following his Sept. 25 arrest and incarceration. And in the aftermath of Clark’s arrest, the majority of the council members, who had approved the referendum question, resigned, leaving the town adrift with no governing body.
With so much uncertainty, the new leadership’s direction regarding borrowing the proposed $2.2 million for the capital expenditures on a South Street project and other road paving is unclear.
Clark was charged with Class B felony victim tampering and Class D domestic violence assault, a misdemeanor. He was released from the Aroostook County Jail on $1,000 cash bail several hours after his arrest but remains on Department of Corrections supervision with an overnight curfew.
Without a quorum, the only action the two remaining councilors could take was to appoint three new councilors to restore their ability to make decisions for the town.
Earlier this month, Councilors Edward Lake and Eileen McLaughlin appointed the three new councilors to one-year terms, although McLaughlin terms out of her role in November.
To further complicate the matter, former Councilors Jane Torres and Alexis Brown, who both resigned from the council, are on the ballot for two, three-year seats. They have not formally withdrawn from the race and last week Torres said she was unsure what she would do if elected. Brown did not respond to Bangor Daily News requests for comment.
There are also two declared write-in candidates for the same three-year seats.
If Torres or Brown are elected, but choose to reject the seat, the council will have to appoint additional temporary councilors.
At this point, it is unclear when or if Clark will return to his town manager role, pending the outcome of his criminal case. His first hearing is in February.
The proposed funding request includes a road project on South Street as well as milling and paving the downtown area. But according to the town ordinance, the town may only issue the bonds and bond participation note for these capital improvements if a majority of voters approve it.
In previous council meetings, Clark has heralded the merits of borrowing the $2.2 million for town roads, assuring the council that this is the only way to remedy the town’s deteriorating roads and sidewalks in a timely manner.
