By Natalie Bazinet
Staff Writer
LIMESTONE — It’s been four months since the initial controversy stirred in Limestone when the selectpeople sought to remove the heads of both the police and fire departments, and the conflict will formally reach resolution one way or another on Tuesday, Jan. 8 when the community votes on whether Selectpeople Thomas Devoe, Gary O’Neal and Jesse Philbrick will be removed from office.
While the full board of selectpeople — including recently elected members Thomas Albert and Marilyn King — set the date of the vote during a special meeting on Nov. 14, Philbrick expressed his concerns to the petition’s circulator, Limestone Fire Chief Paul Durepo, that the document was invalid.
This was the second petition by Limestone residents that was submitted, calling for a recall election. The first was turned over to the town’s lawyer in September and deemed invalid due to improper format.
Philbrick believes that the second petition is also invalid.
“I’ve looked the petition over, Paul — I’ve looked it over several times. And there’s two or three people here that signed that I know — I don’t know which signed, the man or the wife, but it’s the same writing on it,” Philbrick said. “And that’s fraud.
Philbrick also accused Durepo of fraudulently verifying the authenticity of the first petition, as Philbrick said that Durepo did not circulate one of the sheets himself.
Speaking directly to Durepo, who did not reply, Philbrick emphasized his point.
“It’s all about saving money, Paul. I went around to the different towns — Mars Hill, Mapleton, all around — the average price that those towns are paying their chief is about $7,500. But we’re paying $21,300. And it’s a job you helped set up many years ago when you were sitting right on this board here,” Philbrick said. “That’s wrong, Paul, and I want you to know that.”
As Chairman of the board, Devoe politely interjected, stating “all right, Jesse,” but Philbrick insisted.
“I want to say it — I want that lady back there to know the truth,” he said, referring to the Aroostook Republican reporter in attendance. “She has printed stuff in the paper that wasn’t always the up-and-up.”
Philbrick then directed his focus back to Durepo.
“I have witnessed you lugging beer in your pickup,” he said. “I don’t care how much you drink. I really don’t care. But when you’re on call 24/7, you better have your head clear when you got a crew of men out there fighting a fire.”
The selectperson also cited that back in August, he’d asked for a list of all the fire department equipment that the town owns.
“All I want to do is sort it out — see what we own and what we don’t own and whatever,” Philbrick said. “You fought tooth and nail right along. You got your petition, and you do what you want.”
“I have talked to some of these people who’ve signed this, and I don’t think they were told the actual truth about what was going on,” he added.
Despite Philbrick’s concerns regarding the petition’s validity, the board approved the date of the recall election on Jan. 8. Polls will be open at the Limestone Municipal building from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. Absentee ballots will also be available.
