As the Presque Isle City Council convened at City Hall to fill a vacancy in its ranks Wednesday, so did eight members of the voting public, all hoping their pitch would be enough to earn a seat on the council until a November election.
Among them were a former city manager, a hairdresser, a health care worker, a bus driver, a retiree and several previous City Council candidates.
“It’s amazing the interest that we’ve had for this,” Council Chair Jeff Willette said.
Ultimately, the council voted by secret ballot to appoint Tim Levesque, a near-lifelong resident of the city, former MSAD 1 school board member and a manager at a global cyber security firm.
In his pitch to the council, Levesque emphasized his familiarity with government from more than a decade of working in school districts in Easton and Houlton and his deep connection to the city.
“I work for a company that is global, I could live anywhere, but I choose to stay here because I love the people and I love the work that this council does in trying to improve the community every single day,” Levesque said.
He said he intends to run for one of two open council seats in November, but saw the opportunity to serve in a three-month stint until the election as a way to “try before I buy.”
Levesque received three votes from the council, edging out Herman Legassie, the bus driver; Shelby Shea, the health care worker; Mikaela Henninger, the hairdresser; and resident Debbie Plummer, who each received two votes. Each councilor listed multiple names on their ballot.
Former City Manager Tyler Brown was not listed among those who received votes. Brown resigned from the position for the second time within a year this March, citing difficulties adjusting to the public sector. But Wednesday he stood before the council and spoke of the “honor” it would be to serve on the council.
“Frankly, since leaving the position earlier this year, I had the opportunity to create some deeper and more meaningful relationships within our community,” Brown said. “I believe my background in other industries, as well as living in other places across the country, brings a unique perspective and a unique opportunity to aid and facilitate for our citizenry.”
The large showing of civic engagement impressed sitting councilors, some of whom ran unopposed when they were elected.
“I’m inspired to see so much interest tonight,” Councilor Michael Chasse said. “One of my biggest frustrations over the last 11 or 12 years of being here is that I don’t feel like there’s been enough people in the community that have cared about this position.”
“The turnout for this is eye-opening, and I applaud each and every one of you, I really do,” Willette said. “To express your interest and have so much love and support for your city, it’s great. It’s awesome to see.”
The council moved to fill the vacancy in a special meeting Wednesday three weeks after the resignation of former Councilor Meg Hegemann took effect. Hegemann resigned during a July meeting, seven months into a four-year term, to move closer to her husband’s family, she said.
Her seat, as well as that of Councilor Harold Hull, who was elected in a March special election, will be on the ballot this November. Hull spoke during Wednesday’s meeting about the importance of appointing a councilor who would not be a “radical departure” from the views and representation Hegemann brought to the council. He cited Presque Isle’s gender makeup, which is roughly 52 percent women, and noted that the council was “100 percent men.”
“I believe that most people who voted for Meg expected a specific type of representation for the duration of years that she was to serve on the council,” Hull said. “To appoint someone that runs counter to Meg is to ignore the will of the voters … If the people of the city wish to elect someone significantly different from Meg, they’ll have their opportunity in November.”
Levesque was sworn in immediately after City Clerk Kim Finnemore tallied the votes. He joined the council for the remainder of the meeting, abstaining from a vote that set the city’s mill rate, but voting in line with the rest of the council to rescind a change in policy to how the council makes its Essential Air Service bid recommendations to the U.S. DOT that experts called illegal.
