Embattled selectman Foley faces Orient residents

By Elna Seabrooks
Staff Writer
Mary Beth Foley    ORIENT — Expressions of skepticism, sarcastic laughter and charges of pettiness confronted Mary Beth Foley, chairman of Orient’s selectmen’s board during a special selectmen’s meeting called for last Wednesday. The notice of the meeting had been posted three days earlier on Sunday at the town office.     Foley, also town manager for Ludlow, has been under fire there and suspended without pay since mid-February during a state audit of that town’s finances.
    Although questions were raised about what seemed to some as a hastily called meeting, word apparently got around to residents resulting in a standing-room-only turnout of 25 or so who crammed into the small space for about two hours.
    With no agenda, and after dealing with only one item regarding an easement for the Woodie Wheaton Land Trust, Foley and fellow selectman, Victor Alexander went into executive session with Alicia Silkey. Silkey is the Orient town clerk, treasurer and tax collector. Her husband, Terry Silkey, is a selectman for the town. He said, “it was all nonsense. Mary Beth’s just trying to nit pick. And,  I don’t want to be in [the executive session].”
    The muffled sounds of raised voices spilled into the town office from an adjacent room before Silkey went in and out of the executive session, slamming the door each time and possibly trying to calm herself.
    “Its like a soap opera and gossipy. Reality TV can come here,” said Lynn Godfrin who added that she only happened, by chance, to see the notice of the meeting that day.  
    Finally, the meeting resumed and residents demanded answers to several questions. Although Foley never really answered the questions, residents asked why the meeting was called for that particular day and time, why Terry Silkey was not notified since he is a selectman and why Foley does not respond to phone messages.
Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Elna Seabrooks
CONFRONTATION — Alicia Silkey, Orient town clerk, treasurer and tax collector (standing) defends herself at a Special Selectmen’s meeting saying “perhaps I have the best interests of the town at heart.” Seated are Selectmen Terry Silkey and Victor Alexander next to Chairman Mary Beth Foley.
    A list of 11 issues from mowing the grass at the cemetery, straightening or replacing the flagpole as well as financial matters relating to pay for Alicia Silkey’s assistant, cost of mailboxes and who pays for cat food drew comments of pettiness. During the meeting, one resident said: “I really don’t think it was necessary to have a special meeting. If you felt this way, you could have brought this up at the next meeting.” Another said: “This is not even worthy of a selectmen’s meeting.”
    However, property tax hikes and other tax issues, which have been a bone of contention for some, did come up at the meeting. Alicia Silkey said she had fielded several calls from concerned residents including one elderly woman who was “in tears.” Foley responded by saying: “You could have given these people my number.” At that point gales of laughter filled the room. Earlier Foley had said: “There have not been any messages on my machine.” That, too, was a source of laughter.
    The meeting was so confrontational that Alexander sent out a letter the next day saying he apologized for not representing residents and Foley’s “legitimate questions” at that meeting. He also stated, erroneously in the case of the Pioneer Times, that Alicia Silkey and Selectman Terry Silkey …. saw fit to invite the press.
Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Elna Seabrooks
USPS — James Fuller picks up his mail at the new mailboxes in front of the Orient town office. They were installed to replace the ones at Bartlett’s Country Store which was destroyed by fire last year. Cost of a second set of mailboxes and the enclosures were questioned by Mary Beth Foley, chairman of the board of selectmen.
    Following the meeting, an emotional Foley retreated to her car and would only say on the record, “all I want is for our decisions to be made in our selectmen’s meetings.”
    Pamela Bourgeois agreed to speak on the record. “I think the selectmen should be working together for the town. It seemed that there was some type of hidden agenda,” said Bourgeois. Barbara Sharpe said: “I think it shows that Mary Beth is under a lot of pressure. She is just being petty.”
    “People are fed up with a lot of issues here in Orient. There have been times in this past year when we have needed her and she has been either emotionally or physically unavailable,” said Alicia Silkey.