Vote to rehire Fort Knox chief fails Friends faction unable to recall 9 board members; legal action vowed

PROSPECT – Attempts by some members of the nonprofit booster group Friends of Fort Knox to recall nine board members and rehire executive director Leon Seymour appear to have failed.

At a special meeting of the Friends on Tuesday night in Winterport, called by petition, members voted on three questions:

. Advising the board to reinstate Seymour with back pay to Aug. 9.

. Recalling up to nine board members.

. Electing new board members.

Members also voted by mail.

On the advisory statement on Seymour, whom the board terminated on Aug. 8, 93 voted in favor of reinstating him, 156 voted against.

On 13 board members, the Friends voted in favor of removing three: Mary Campbell, 151-90; Jane Cirillo, 145-101; and Paul Smith, 148-112.

But Joe Brooks, vice president of the Friends, said Thursday morning that a two-thirds threshold of those voting on removal must be reached, and that was not achieved.

“The members have spoken,” Brooks said, and added that he hoped the full membership could reconcile and move forward.

That seems unlikely, given that Seymour, his attorney and his supporters, who have organized as the “True Friends” group, are challenging the results. They argue the Friends bylaws call for votes to be made in person, and that the proxy votes are invalid.

More of those voting in person favored reinstating Seymour and recalling some current board members, both sides confirmed.

Seymour said those voting at the meeting supported reinstating him 69-23.

“We have always maintained that [votes] by proxy are not valid,” Seymour said Thursday.

He also objected to the way the mailed-in votes were handled. Both sides agreed to have votes sent to Richard Silver’s office, the attorney representing the Friends. But some votes were sent to the fort’s visitor center, Seymour said, and votes at both locations were opened.

Having access to those ballots enabled the current board to recruit votes in their favor, Seymour charged.

Asked if he would accept the sentiment of the full membership, reflected in both the in-person and proxy votes, Seymour said he would not.

“I don’t think a lot of them knew the facts. A lot of them are personal friends” of current board members, he said.

Seymour said his attorney, Arthur J. Greif, would file a complaint in court challenging the voting process.

The counting process began Wednesday afternoon, and concluded in the early morning hours of Thursday. Three representatives from both sides observed, and many ballots were challenged, according to Brooks.