When Lisa Burnham decided to “Buy-A-Brick” as part of Eastside Waterfront Park’s fundraiser, she did it to honor two men she believed had made major contributions to the local fishing industry. One was her father Charlie Begin whose family has fished the local shores for a century. The second was a man who she believed had not only listened to Maine fishermen’s concerns, but also acted on their behalf. The $50 brick Burnham purchased read “Donald J. Trump: Best president ever.”

A few days after the donation, Burnham received her donation back via a PayPal message. “No one contacted me personally. Just the message saying my donation was rejected,” Burnham said. “I heard after the fact, they had some kind of meeting, and decided to return it.”

Burnham responded to a donation request through an advertisement on the Boothbay Register website. She said the solicitation had requirements for the number of characters, but said nothing about subject matter. The Buy-A-Brick solicitation on the Boothbay Register website read as follows: “A brick lined walkway is planned for the Park. You are invited to Buy-A-Brick, personalized and engraved to commemorate a special occasion, to honor or memorialize a special person, or even to feature your business or organization. We all look forward to having a free place to sit and relax while we experience harbor events and activities. Think about buying a brick to help pave the way! Add your Brick to the Eastside Waterfront Park. The cut off date for having a brick placed in the first setting for this summer is now May 20th.”

After receiving the cancellation notice, Burnham felt she was being “censored and canceled” by the park board of directors. She wanted to honor both her father who had the local lobster boat races named after him and former President Trump, a politician she believed embodied the same qualities as her father in being a strong advocate for the local fishing industry. Burnham was impressed when Trump visited Maine in June 2020. Trump and former Gov. Paul LePage held a roundtable discussion with fishermen with concerns about federal fishing regulations. Among the topics Trump heard about were North Atlantic right whale regulations, European Union and Chinese tariffs, and adding fishermen to a federal bailout plan targeted originally for farmers.

When asked why her donation was rejected, Burnham responded with a question. “Charlie Begin was a true advocate for preserving the waterfront for lobstermen losing their access to the fishing grounds. And one person comes to Maine and asks how he could help with the lobstering industry. Who was that man?” 

So Burnham bought the brick. Eastside Waterfront Park Board of Directors President John O’Connell disagreed with Burnham about the solicitation request. According to O’Connell, the park’s Facebook page clearly prohibits any political messages. “Basically, it was like Whale Park with certain sentiments being clearly inappropriate for memorial celebratory bricks,” he said. “It’s clear on the website and pretty standard when you make this type of donation.” 

On May 17, the Boothbay Register visited the park website and saw this request. “Boothbay Harbor will soon have its own Eastside Waterfront Park! A centrally located property at 65 Atlantic Avenue is currently under development for this purpose. This community park will provide green space, free short-term boat docking, a splash pad and a small general store. Visitors will have access to expansive views of our beautiful, historic Boothbay Harbor. Located adjacent to the Town Fish Pier, the park also offers a pier dedicated to the working waterfront. Nearby is the famous footbridge which will allow visitors to explore local shops, restaurants and other sites on the opposite side of the harbor.

“A brick lined walkway is planned for the park. You are invited to Buy-A-Brick, personalized and engraved to commemorate a special occasion, to honor or memorialize a special person, or even to feature your business or organization. Funds generated by the Buy-A-Brick opportunity will benefit the creation of the Eastside Waterfront Park. We all look forward to having a free place to sit and relax while we watch the events and activities on our harbor. Think about buying a brick to help pave the way!” 

On May 14, O’Connell sent this message which he said was from the park’s Facebook page: As a 501c.(3), and out of respect for all of our donors, the board of directors of Boothbay Harbor Waterfront Preservation voted not to allow political or controversial statements of any kind from any party on our engraved bricks. We feel the brick walkway is a place for personal, memorial, commemorative, or celebratory messages. We view this project as a solemn and uplifting project and by no means want to offend anyone or discourage any participation. Thank you so much for your support.” The post was made on April 28.

O’Connell was asked if, for example, the committee would prohibit this message: Stan Tupper: Our Congressman 1961-67. O’Connell didn’t know if this would be acceptable. “I know who Stan was. Generally speaking, I don’t know. We don’t accept political messages so I’m not going to have you put words in my mouth one way or another.”

Asked to provide contact information from a board member who could clarify the policy, O’Connell declined.