Nov. 5, 2013 Elections: Municipal and state referendums, ordinance changes, candidates
Voters go to the polls Nov. 5 to consider five statewide ballot questions, and various individual municipal warrant articles. Following are election previews and recent issue stories for Knox and Waldo counties, as well as a rundown of the bond issues voters across the state are being asked to decide.
View a list of polling places and town contacts here: Knox County, Waldo County
As polls close election night, results will be posted on PenBayPilot.com as they are reported for Knox and Waldo counties. Stay tuned.
Belfast’s provisional tree goes up in time for the holiday season
BELFAST - The city will be lighting a different tree this year to kick off the holiday season. In past years, crowds gathered a the towering pine outside City Hall. There was hot cocoa and carols. Santa arrived by fire truck, and oversaw the illumination of hundreds of white lights spun around a tree topped in glowing star.
That tree was damaged in the Nov. 2 storm that did a number on trees around the Midcoast, and through the tree weathered the storm mostly intact, city officials… Read more
Belfast floats plans for uncrowding harbor, de-mucking ‘The Muck’
BELFAST – A plan to reorganize moorings in Belfast Harbor would free up space for current users, including commercial fishermen and boat workers. It would also raise the bar for access to the inner harbor.
The Inner Harbor Improvement Plan, put together by Gartley & Dorsky engineers and reviewed by the city’s harbor committee, also raises the possibility of dredging and adding a wave attenuator in the future to open a wider… Read more
Parade of Lights in Rockland 2014
ROCKLAND - The annual Festival of Lights celebration continued Saturday night with the Parade of Lights. Throngs of people crowded the sidewalks spilling into the street to watch the parade pass by as it made its way down Main Street.
Rockland greets holidays with lighting of the Lobster Trap Tree
ROCKLAND — Amid much anticipation, a large crowd assembled in Mildred Merrill Park in Rockland to watch the annual lighting of Rockland Main Street’s Lobster Trap Tree that officially heralds the holiday season Friday night.
Music was provided by the Midcoast School of Music. Paul Benjamin, president of Rockland Main Street, introduced the organization’s director, Gordon Page, thanking all the volunteers who put in untold hours to help make the lobster trap tree a possibility.
Frank Isganitis elected Rockland’s mayor, new councilors sworn in
ROCKLAND — In a 3-2 vote announced by Rockland City Clerk Stuart Sylvester, Frank Isganitis has become the new mayor. The short meeting at City Hall, Monday evening, also saw two new city councilors sworn in.
Will Clayton and Valli Geiger were both elected in the Nov. 4 elections. They were sworn in before the mayoral vote.
Isganitis said it was exciting and challenging to be elected mayor.
Will Clayton said it felt good to be back and he was ready to jump into the budget… Read more
Belfast Council moves ahead with new membership
BELFAST - With two new members since the Nov. 4 election, the Belfast City Council came together informally on Monday to talk about goals for the coming year.
City Manager Joe Slocum said he imagined, coming into the meeting, that the Council might emerge with a grand plan. But he quickly realized it would take some time to get the new councilors up to speed sort through lists of past priorities and new ambitions.
As a result, Slocum said Monday’s workshop… Read more
Cleanup of papermaking byproducts in Searsport yields more paper, for now
SEARSPORT - Ron Huber’s descriptions of the bluff on the west side of Kidder Point are as colorful as the rock-like clumps of chemistry and stains that mark the beach there.
A “toxic teabag” and “pocket of poison” are two of the expressions the executive director of Friends of Penobscot Bay used recently to describe an area visible from the Sears Island Causeway. There’s also a plume of pollution fanning out from the shore into the water, and this he likened to a flame — the… Read more
Recount confirms Thibodeau winner in District 11 race
AUGUSTA - A recount on Friday, Nov. 14, confirmed Michael Thibodeau as winner in the race for State Senate District 11, representing Waldo County. Unofficial results from Nov. 4 showed the Republican lawmaker from Winterport leading Democratic challenger Jonathan Fulford, of Monroe, by 105 votes out of roughly 16,000 cast in the race.
After the recount, requested by Fulford and conducted in Augusta under the supervision of the Secretary of State’s Office, that margin… Read more
RSU 20 board begins seven month lame-duck session
BELFAST - At the first Regional School Unit 20 board meeting since the election that effectively exploded the district, there were some questions about how the board would proceed for the rest of the school year.
Voters in Belfast, Belmont, Morrill, Searsmont and Swanville on Nov. 4 approved referendums to leave the eight-town consolidated school… Read more
Honor guard pays tribute at Camden’s Veterans Honor Roll
CAMDEN — Americans around the Midcoast today, Veterans Day, are taking private moments as well as sharing fellowship to honor the men and women who have served and continue to serve in the U.S. Military. In Camden this Tuesday, at 11:30 a.m., Rosey Gerry, Ben Hazen, Mark Thurlow, John Hyssong and Everett Fizer quietly marched in line across the Village Green.
All veterans, the uniformed men assembled in front of the Veterans Honor Roll, which was dedicated in 2007. For… Read more
Rockland District Court closed cases
ROCKLAND — The following cases were closed in Rockland District Court Oct. 1-29.
Owen R. Adair, 23, of Vinalhaven, violating conditions of release in Vinalhaven Oct. 25, 14 days in jail; possession or transfer of burglar's tools in Vinalhaven Oct. 25, 14 days in jail; burglary of a motor vehicle in Vinalhaven Oct. 25, 14 days in jail; theft by unauthorized taking or transfer in Vinalhaven Oct. 25, 14 days in jail; criminal mischief in Vinalhaven Oct. 25, 14 days in jail; refusing to… Read more
Knox County Superior Court closed cases
ROCKLAND — The following cases were closed in Knox County Superior Court Oct. 6 -31.
Daniel C. Breen, 32, of Tenants Harbor, sexual abuse of a minor in St. George June 1, 2012, four years in prison with all but nine months suspended and two years of probation.
Kimberly Colson, 46, of Hope, theft by unauthorized taking or transfer in Camden May 20, two years in jail with all but 45 days suspended and two years or probation.
Stephen Darney, 45, of Augusta, unlawful… Read more
Knox County divorces
ROCKLAND — The following divorces were recorded in Knox County Superior Court between January and July.
Heather J. Thumith, of Rockland, and Kenneth D. Thumith, of Camden, were married May 26, 1998, in Las Vegas and divorced June 16.
Mirana D. Jandreau, of Warren, and Benjamin J. Jandreau, of Sidney, were married April 20, 2012, in Winslow and divorced July 22.
Lawrence E. Galkowski, of Rockland, and Joanna L. Galkowski, of Rockland, were married Nov. 18, 1978, in Glenburn… Read more
Knox County divorces
ROCKLAND — The following divorces were recently recorded at Knox County Superior Court during the months of August and September.
August
Ericka L. Theriault, of St. George, and Andrew W. Theriault, of Tenants Harbor, were married Aug. 16, 2003, in St. George and divorced Aug. 13.
Patricia E. Novak, of Rockport, and James J. Novak, of Lincolnville, were married March 11, 2006, in Lincolnville and divorced Aug. 13.
Brandy Monroe, of Hope, and Timothy… Read more
Waldo County Sheriff’s beat
BELFAST — The Waldo County Sheriff’s Office reported the following activity Oct. 27 - Nov. 7. An arrest or summons does not imply guilt.
Oct. 27
Stephen A. Smith, 27, of Brooks, was arrested for violating conditions of release in Unity, tampering with a victim and violating a protective order.
Lillian C. Spencer, 27, of Freedom, was arrested for operating under the influence on Route 203 in Brooks and also issued a summons for operating an unregistered… Read more
Novel by local newsroom veteran sees light of day
Daniel Krajack worked almost a dozen years as copy editor for both the Republican Journal and the Waldo Independent in the 1980s and '90s.
A few million words passed beneath his thick glasses, all of them checked for spelling, grammar – and their literary rightness.
Belfast Opera House makes Maine Preservation’s ‘Most Endangered Properties’ list
BELFAST - Maine Preservation last month released its list of Most Endangered Historic Properties. Among the eight entries were all of downtown Gardiner, a pair of clock towers in Biddeford, a drive-in theater in Skowhegan, several homes, a rural town office and the Belfast Opera House.
The… Read more
Belfast Police Department beat: theft, terrorizing
BELFAST — The Belfast Police Department reported the following activity Oct. 18-28. An arrest or summons does not imply guilt.
Oct. 8 (late entry)
Mariah K. Valliere, 30, of Jackson, was issued a summons for theft by unauthorized taking or transfer.
Oct. 13 (late entry)
Jerica L. Wallace, 27, of Belfast, was issued summonses for forgery and theft by unauthorized taking or transfer, stemming from an incident Oct. 11.
Oct… Read more
Waldo County Sheriff’s Office beat: criminal threatening, inadequate tire
BELFAST — The Waldo County Sheriff’s Office reported the following activity Oct. 14 -28. An arrest or summons does not imply guilt.
Oct. 14
Dean W. Frost, 49, of Swanville, was issued summonses for criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon, assault with a dangerous weapon and domestic violence terrorizing with a dangerous weapon in Swanville.
Oct. 15
Mara… Read more
Front Street Shipyard picked for $10 million federal loan
BELFAST - Front Street Shipyard has been selected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development to receive a $10 million Business & Industry Guaranteed Loan.
Speaking on Oct. 29, Front Street Shipyard President JB Turner said the company got a number of smaller loans from investors when it started in 2011.
“This basically replaces all of those with financing,” he said.
The loan would be through Androscoggin Bank. Turner said having all the debt “under one roof… Read more
Belfast Area High School shows its stuff at revamped open house
BELFAST - The parking lot of Belfast Area High School was filled on Oct. 23. The occasion wasn’t a home football game. It was the school’s open house, just a few notches more ambitious than usual.
Inside the school, student artists worked in the upstairs classrooms of the art wing while musicians performed in rotating brass and woodwind groups downstairs. Others roamed with guitars.
The hallways presented a… Read more
Money not going down the drain in Belfast; sewer rate hike coming up
BELFAST - Sewer bills will be going up by 7-percent in 2015 and another 7-percent in 2016. The City Council approved the request from Wastewater Superintendent John Carman on Tuesday, but not without a lot of questions.
Carman noted that sewer fees had not gone up in seven years. That was part of the problem. Also revenue hasn’t kept pace with budgeted expenses. From 2011 to 2013, the roughly $800,000 budget of the wastewater treatment plant went up by 3-percent, while revenues in the… Read more
Belfast Police beat: Operating under the influence, theft of services, assault, bad checks
BELFAST — The Belfast Police Department reported the following activity Oct. 7-20. An arrest or summons does not imply guilt.
Sept. 30
Robert Cyphers III, 24, of Montville, was issued summonses for two charges of negotiating a worthless instrument (bad check), stemming from an incident Sept. 22, and negotiating a worthless instrument stemming from an incident Sept. 15.
Oct. 1… Read more
Vote like it’s 1920! The League of Women Voters Election Guide is still a must-read
At the Penobscot Bay Pilot, we’ve been working hard to put together great election resources. But if you were only going to read one thing before you went to the polls on Nov. 4, we would have to defer to the League of Women Voters of Maine’s “Easy-to Read Voter Guide.”
With 27 spacious pages, the guide is exactly what it sounds like. … Read more
Camden-Rockport sprints past competition in championships
BELFAST — Several middle school cross country programs gathered Monday, Oct. 20 at Belfast’s Troy Howard middle school in hopes of leaving with the championship crown.
The course was 2.1 miles long and featured runners from Camden-Rockport, Lincolnville, Islesboro, Great Salt Bay, Boothbay, Troy Howard, Appleton, Medomak, Searsport and Oceanside middle schools.
At the end of the day, both the girls and boys Camden-Rockport Middle School teams brought home championship crowns… Read more
The Rematch: The candidates for Waldo County Commissioner have been here before
BELFAST - If it were a boxing match, this year’s race for Waldo County Commissioner, District 1, would be worthy of a nickname like The Thrilla in Manilla.
For starters, Betty Johnson (D-Lincolnville) and Donald Berry (R-Belmont) have faced off more times than Ali and Frazier ever did. Johnson unsuccessfully challenged Berry for his seat in the state legislature twice (in 1998 and 2000). Ten years later, she got payback or sorts when she thwarted Berry’s bid for a second term as county… Read more
Belfast District Court closed cases
BELFAST — The following cases were closed in Belfast District Court Aug. 29- Sept. 18.
Gregory Aldus, 48, of Washington, theft of lost, mislaid or misdelivered property in Westbrook June 15, $250 fine.
Terrance B. Armstrong, 48, of Augusta, operating without safety equipment in Liberty July 23, $100 fine.
Dennis B. Bailey, 64, of Knox, rule violations in Palermo Aug. 27, $100 fine.
Camden Hills football suffers defeat against Belfast
ROCKPORT — From coaches yelling commands, players roaring and grunting, to the constant chatter and clapping of the crowd, the air was thick with noise at the Camden Hills versus Belfast high school football game hosted by the National Guard at Don Palmer Field Saturday, Oct. 18.
Camden Hills players sprinted onto their home field to face off like Spartan warriors prepared to defend their land, running out of the large inflatable football helmet provided by the National Guard.
Belfast Police seek possible witnesses to residential theft
BELFAST — Belfast Police are asking anyone with information about the burglary of a Route 52 residence earlier this week to come forward.
Belfast Detective Bryan Cunningham said the burglary occurred sometime before 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 16.
Cunningham said… Read more
Local officials grill state candidates at Belfast forum, get few answers
BELFAST - Augusta has shifted expenses to cities and towns. This is what municipal, county and school district officials say when they aren’t tearing each other limb from limb over rising property taxes.
At a forum on Oct. 16, hosted by the Waldo County Municipal Association, a handful of local officials got to ask current legislators and candidates what they would do about it.
Those in attendance (see a… Read more