In an open session hearing at the Boothbay Town Office March 24, Boothbay Region Refuse DisposalDistrictBoard Chairman Jody Lewis defended himself against allegations regarding alleged neglect of duty, misconduct and other acts that indicate unfitness to serve.  

After nearly 80 minutes of questions by the board of selectmen on the allegations and answers by Lewis, his attorney Linda Yarmosh and fellow BRRDD board members, the allegations were dismissed in a 3-0 vote, with Charles “Chuck” Cunningham, who is also a BRRDD board member and who recused himself after bringing the charges to the board, and Selectman Steve Lewis absent. The motion to dismiss the charges was made by Selectman Russell Pinkham. Pinkham and selectmen Julie Roberts and Dale Harmon cast the votes to dismiss. 

In the list of charges provided to Lewis – which were delivered to him by Town Manager Dan Bryer by putting them in the visor of Lewis’ truck – the note also noted the date of the special meeting. Lewis had the option to have the meeting in anexecutive session or have an open meeting. He chose the latter. 

With fellow BRRDD board members Julia Latter, Curt Crosby, Amy Harkins and Jay Warren sitting in the front row facing the selectboard, board attorney Kristin Collins outlined the premise of the meeting and how it should be conducted. 

The seven allegations were: 1. Neglect in reading and responding to emails; 2. Not responding to a FOAA request; 3. Making unilateral decisions outside of board meetings; 4. Conducting special meetings without alerting the press; 5. Changing bylaws without advance notice or thorough discussion by the full board; 6. Failure to disseminate information to fellow board members; and 7. Taking actions and positions that are not in the best interest of the Town of Boothbay. 

Selectmen were concerned about potential refuse district decisions being made outside of regular meetings. On March 12, Harmon, on behalf of all four district selectboards, requested refuse meetings be held at the Boothbay municipal building. Boothbay has the capability of livestreaming meetings and on-demand viewings.  

Harmon talked about concerns about how the board seemingly changed their minds and made a decisionout-of-session. 

Harmon recalled the refuse board, including Lewis, was  "enthusiastic" about the proposal. Later, things changed, and the refuse board didn't want the first livestream meeting in Boothbay. Lewis responded that board members reached out to him stating concerns about the optics of having the meeting in Boothbay. "I got a call from Curt Crosby (Edgecomb representative) who had concerns about the board being autonomous and shouldn't be meeting in Boothbay. Julia (Latter, Boothbay Harbor representative) also mentioned concerns. I called the other two who also made similar comments," Lewis said. 

Lewis then called Cunningham about what other board members wanted to do. "I called you back and told you the entire board asked me why the meeting couldn't beheld in Boothbay Harbor for the first meeting and talk it over and make it an informed decision. There was no vote, and nothing as of now has been decided." 

Pinkham asked what differenceis where the meeting takes place? Lewis responded that the current FBI investigation which began a year ago was the reason. "You have a member on your board (Steve Lewis, no relation), a selectman (and former Refuse District manager) being investigated by the FBI. That was their problem sitting at this table. I'm not the one who brought this up. All the members came to me,"Lewis said.  

Collins said what the directors did was "phone tag" and a violation of law. "A discussion taken offline and any follow-up discussion should be taken at the board level," Collins said.  

On the FOAA requests, Collins said the directors improperly delayed the minutes of the March 26, 2025 meeting. She stated that the directors could send a draft version or meeting notes to the media upon request. Directors said they did respond for a request for a recording of the March 26, 2025 open session. Both the Bangor Daily News and Boothbay Register requested the recording. Refuse district officials said they responded by stating the recording never existed.  

Further concerns centered around Cunningham's removal as the directors' vice-chairman. Selectmen believed it was a retaliatory action based on a budget conversation with selectmen. Cunningham questioned the district's financial figures because the financial formula wasn't properly constructed. This also led to a complaint that Lewis didn't read or respond to emails.  

Directors said Cunningham embarrassed them during the budget discussion and the next night changed their bylaws so they could remove him as vice-chairman. This occurred during the district's regularly scheduled meeting. Cunningham missed the meeting due to work requirements. 

Lewis said he wasn't the one who proposed the bylaw change. "What is he supposed to do? asked Yarmosh. "You are micromanaging the way he runs the district. With all duerespect, that is not your job," Yarmosh said.  

Lewis said Latter asked if she could bring the bylaw change to the board. "None of us knew this was coming," he said. Yarmosh defended Lewis' actions as chairman. "He runs the board meeting, but he can't change the way board members feel," she said. "And that's not fair to hold him responsible for that." 

Prior to the vote, some residents urged the two boards to move forward, that both sides should communicate better and have respect for people who volunteer for these boards. 

Lewis said he feels he did nothing wrong and works in the best interest of the town, which drew applause from the approximately 35 members of the public in attendance. 

A recording of thehearing is on the Boothbay Region TV Facebook page.