On Monday, March 3 at Southport town hall, a relatively small group of voters passed the annual Southport town warrant with few questions and not a single contrary vote.

During daytime voting, 49 citizens reelected Gerry Gamage as selectman, Jane Mulholland as school committee member, Smith Climo as Boothbay Region Water District trustee and Anita Sherman as town treasurer.

During open meeting, Matt Cole was elected as a library trustee, Jean Hasch and Evelyn Sherman as cemetery trustees and Steve Gaudette, Matt Cole and Oliver Cusano were elected to the budget committee.

Southport’s annual town meeting is steeped in tradition and goodwill, and Monday night’s meeting was no exception. Where other town meetings seem focused on getting to the end, Southport’s town meeting seems more about the present.

Sherman said in the old days (pre-World War II) Southport Islanders made a full day of town meeting on the first Saturday in March, stopping mid-day to share a community meal. Now, town meeting breaks shortly after it begins for coffee, cupcakes, brownies and a bit of socializing. On Monday night, the homemade snacks were part of a fundraiser for the Southport Central School’s sixth grade class trip to New York City.

Town meeting attendees also had a chance to contemplate the past, present and future in side-by-side displays. One, prepared by Ron Orchard, featured old and recent photos and information related to the town’s newly-purchased Gardner property at Hendricks Head beach. Alongside Orchard’s presentation were maps depicting the Boothbay Region Water District’s plans for water line expansion on the island in the coming years.  

There were no surprises or controversy at the meeting. As Orchard explained to this reporter, the town’s budget committee works diligently through the winter months on the town budget, and the community, as a whole, trusts the members’ efforts. Orchard said there were rarely comments on a warrant article, unless the dollar amount was less than the previous year.

As can be expected for a Southport gathering, there were a few light-hearted moments and some great quotes, well worth the venture out into the cold night.

From moderator Kit Sherrill: “It is a great tradition here in Southport not to get too cantankerous during town meeting.”

From Selectman Gerry Gamage, when the numbers in a budget article didn’t add up: “It’s either a typo or modern math.” The item passed without a clear resolution.

From Ed Furber, on the $7,000 decrease in the Boothbay Region Ambulance Service subsidy request, “It doesn’t seem nearly enough for what they’re trying to do.” BRAS President Rob Ham, who had been questioned for over 90 minutes the previous week before the Boothbay Harbor budget committee, smiled broadly and explained how the subsidy was allocated.

From Ron Orchard: “We changed the clapboards twice (on the new section of the historical museum), but the clapboards on the 200-year-old house are still beautiful.”

Asked why Southport held its town meeting in March, a month known for bad weather, the answer seemed to be that it was simply tradition. Of course, it is a time of year when only year-round residents are on the island.