Cushing selectmen vote forces recount

CUSHING – Fierce competition for selectmen’s seats ended with close votes earlier this week, especially for a one-year seat that resulted in a one-vote margin between two contenders.

A recount is planned today for the one-year post. Peter Haviland got 124 votes. Keith Feyler had 123 votes.

Last year, residents voted to increase the size of the Board of Selectmen from three to five.

At Monday’s polls, Randolph Robbins and David Cobey competed for a three-year seat left vacant when Selectman Alton Grover decided to seek a new two-year seat. Robbins edged out Cobey by a 145-99 vote. Grover ran unopposed.

Kim Young beat Frank Solari by a 128-119 vote. She will serve the two years remaining in a three-year seat, which opened when Chairman Michael Myrick resigned.

Residents did not pass all articles at the meeting, a town official said Thursday. So the final municipal budget has not been tallied.

Substantial discussion concerning town officers’ salaries slowed the session. The salaries were presented as an itemized list and taxpayers decided to consider each salary separately.

Selectmen, harbor master, code enforcement officer and animal control officer received the most attention, but all eventually passed with some changes.

Selectmen had to defend a 3 percent increase in their salaries, which were proposed at $5,136 for the chairman and $2,390 for other board members.

Three articles were defeated by voters.

A request to raise $12,000 per year for three years for a photographic aerial survey of the town was turned down. The last similar survey was done in the 1970s.

Also rejected was a request for $10,000 for architects and inspection costs associated with a proposed renovation of the Community Center. With the cost of renovating in the $250,000 range, voters suggested building anew might make more sense.

A proposal to adopt a building permit ordinance also failed to pass. The ordinance would have required a permit to build, renovate or demolish a structure.

Assessors had requested the rule to ensure fairer taxation, but some residents saw the move as increased government control.