TEMPLE – It was standing room only at the annual town meeting Monday night as voters elected a new selectman and road commissioner and passed an 180-day moratorium on all industrial development to give some time for a committee to draft a Comprehensive Plan for the community’s development.
The town’s road commissioner of 20 years, Raymond Nile, was defeated by a vote of 53 to 42 in favor of Toby Hellgren for the two-year term. Nile told residents before the vote he’s been road commissioner for many years and “I’ve got a good idea how it should be done.” Hellgren said he’d “just try to do a good job.”
Immediately after the vote, an unidentified man walked across the front of the hall and before exiting turned and yelled an obscenity at voters while displaying offensive hand gestures. State Sen. Tom Saviello, who was serving at the meeting’s moderator, told the man to “just leave.” The man yelled another obscenity at Saviello before exiting and slamming the door shut.
The Town Hall’s meeting room was jammed-packed with some standing in the back for the lack of enough chairs was silent for a moment as if in shock, then Saviello began to read the next article. The meeting progressed politely with many good discussions at various articles.
James Holland was elected to a three-year selectman term. Selectman Jean Mitchell decided not to run again after serving for four years. Residents applauded her work. Holland, who is the Capital Area Technical Center director, said his job requires “budgeting everyday” and added, “I will do the best job I can for the town.” Betsey Hyde was reelected to a three-year term on the Mt. Blue Regional School District board of directors. Hyde has served seven years on the board and said as the board enters the budgeting season, “I promise to do my very best.”
After all of the municipal spending articles were approved except a new $500 request from Community Concepts, Inc., residents easily passed Article 53 which proposed an 180-day moratorium on applications, permits, and licensing for industrial development.
The article proposed to allow time for a comprehensive planning committee to be formed and a plan to be developed and adopted. If 180 days is not enough time, another 180 days may be implemented.
Those speaking in favor said the town needs a comprehensive plan to enact zoning specifications and that the planning board can’t do its job without it. It was pointed out that two mobile homes have been installed on the intervale, a flood plain area, which a zoning designation would presumably prohibit if one were enacted.
The town passed a wind power development ordinance a few years ago. Interest in developing a comp plan was reignited after Renewable Energy Systems America, Inc. in January made a pitch at a public meeting to install between 12 and 25 wind turbines on the western side of town, despite the town’s ordinance prohibiting industrial-size turbine development.
Planning Board member Janine Winn said that the wind power ordinance “is in a good solid position” and that “the possibility of a wind power development is dead in the water unless the town repeals the ordinance.” Others noted the move towards developing a comprehensive plan is not to single out wind power, but the planning board can’t do it job without a comprehensive plan.
Residents agreed and overwhelmingly voted for the moratorium to be set in place.
The proposed municipal budget, approved as recommended, totaled $497,812, which is nearly identical to last year’s budget. The town meeting adjourned at 8:45 p.m. after a dusting of snow had fallen.
The road commissioner vote is a perfect example of quality vs. quantity! Quality votes of respected knowledgeable citizens lost to more quanity of well….lets just say less quality less knowledgeable citizens. Time will prove how quality always is the best way, that is one thing the system of democracy sometimes loses out on!
The road commissioner vote was NOT about quality vs quantity! The people voted for change….we are tired of the same responses to questions asked. The last time I checked we lived in a democracy where we can vote for the person that can to the job to the best of their ability. Change is not always a bad thing!!!
Less quality, less knowledgeable? WOW! Why don’t you put your name to your post so people know who the smarter, higher class citizen is in their town.
Quality what quality? Have you seen out roads. Have you seen the plowing this winter? My husband has to Chase down a plow guy one day to get our family home safely after 2 hours of trying to get up the varnum pond road to the Maxwell road. I think this will be a good change for our community and a smart financial decision.
Have you driven the roads in Temple lately? How can you call that quality?
The voters voted for a change for who they wanted for a road commissioner that should be that. The BS about quality and quantity should not even be mentioned. A vote is just the voice of the voters. I will close in thanking Raymond Nile for a job well done for the last 20 years and congratulate Toby Hellgren on his new position. May he have new ideas or stick with the old way of doing things we will all see as time goes on. As far as Temple having bad roads, no one has left the town a million plus dollars to fix them the way they should be. Until this happens we will have to keep patching and repairing as we can. Thank You!
Well said Mr. Dunham……Exactly true!!!
Very well stated James!
Get Betsey on the ball and have her take a stand with the taxpayer for a change. Maybe there will be some $ available for road replacement instead of it all going up to the “campus”.
Way to go DAD!! Proud of you!!
It’s all about the vote. The people voted for change. That’s democracy. Thank you Raymond for all your dedication and Congrats Toby.
Just want to clarify that the one who has been plowing the roads for the last few years is the new road commissioner not Raymond the plow contract and road commissioner are two totally different things and agree with Jim nobody left temple a million dollars to fix the damn roads and take a drive around the state no roads in Maine are that great has anyone been to Augusta lately I’d say for what he had to work with In the past Raymond did a damn good job as far as the future of the roads good luck temple!!