UPDATE: Rober Splain retracted his resignation February 1.

Original post: Boothbay Harbor Selectman Bob Splaine resigned January 29. Follow the link directly above to read his letter of resignation.

In a letter sent to Town Manager Tom Woodin, Splaine pointed to his concerns regarding boards of selectmen from other towns exerting influence over Boothbay Harbor that “allow political activism to become an uncontrollable force in leveraging an outcome that may not be in the best interest of our municipality, our taxpayers and residents.”

"I hold no personal animosity toward individual members of the board, or any of the municipal employees," Splaine also wrote in the letter.

Woodin said he was sorry to see Splaine resign.

Splaine will not serve out his 3-year term, but will serve until May 5, 2013.

At the Boothbay Harbor selectmen meeting on January 28, the selectmen discussed the structure of the St. Andrews Task Force and whether recent actions were in the best interests of the Boothbay Harbor community.

“I am deeply concerned that (Boothbay Register reporter) Sue Mello was denied access to the meeting,” selectman Robert Splaine said, referring to the task force’s January 23 meeting where Mello was asked to leave. 

Splaine said that the task force had done good work, but that it “May or may not be a body in the best interests of the community.”

Splaine expressed concern over the amount of control the town of Boothbay had over task force actions by denying access to specific people. He said actions might be taken by the task force that would directly affect Boothbay Harbor’s taxes without the townspeople having a say in the matter.

“If Boothbay is in a position to control information in Boothbay Harbor, that is a bad thing for this town,” Splaine said.

Splaine finished by making a motion that Boothbay Harbor withdraw from the task force. The motion was not seconded.

Original post: Selectperson Valerie Augustine said that a bill presented in the Legislature regarding the work of the task force would have to go through a referendum vote, which would give the people of Boothbay Harbor a say. 

Board Chairman Bill Hamblen said he was very pleased with the collaborative effort the task force had made with Lincoln County Healthcare, but that he still had concerns over the structure and recent actions.

“Sue Mello’s presence made the meetings open,” Hamblen said. “Not allowing her in was a serious transgression of municipal responsibilities, and I have a real problem with that.”

There was also discussion that some parts of task force meetings were deemed “executive sessions” but did not follow the Maine Revised Statutes municipal laws for them.

The discussion ended with Augustine stating that the selectmen all respected each other as equal members, and they were only interested in doing the right thing. Hamblen thanked everyone for a calm orderly discussion.

“It’s good to get these issues out in the open. The importance of the structure can’t be ignored, as it puts the task force’s good work at risk,” Hamblen said.

Katrina Clark can be reached at 207-633-4620 or katrinaclark@boothbayregister.com. Follow her on Twitter: @BBRegisterClark or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BBRegisterKatrinaClark.