Shiretown board control could return to council

HOULTON – The town’s attorney said Thursday that town councilors could definitely take back control of the Shiretown Development Corp. as long as they convince six of the nine SDC board members to go along with the idea.

The solution may appeal to some councilors, who recently complained that the SDC panel no longer consists of just the seven councilors. The board is a separate entity of the town and often functions as an economic development arm for the municipality. Although the board consisted solely of town councilors for a decade, two community representatives were added in August.

“It’s ridiculous that the council can’t take back SDC, a board that we once had complete control over,” Councilor Paul Romanelli said at a meeting earlier this week. “That was our baby, and I think we should be able to get it back. I think it is vital to economic development.”

Councilors wondered during the recent meeting whether they had the power to oust the two new SDC panelists.

Town Attorney Dan Nelson explained Thursday that the newest representatives could be removed by a two-thirds majority vote of the SDC board

“If six of the nine [SDC] members agree to it, they can amend the bylaws any way they like,” he said. “But they’ve got to convince six of the nine members to support the idea.”

Interim Town Manager Cathy O’Leary said Thursday that SDC first decided to add representatives to the board in 2003. No one was approved, however, until this year.

“The discussion about whether to bring more people to the board went on for quite a while,” she said. “The decision to add people stemmed from talking about the economic development process and feeling that additional input from the business community would be helpful.”

Council Chairman Gerald Adams said during the recent meeting that he agreed with Romanelli.

“I think the council is responsible for that group,” he said. “There is a process [to explore amending the bylaws], and we’ll go through that process.”