Harpswell Information

1. Introduction

2. Letter to Selectman with request for fulltime Harbormaster

3. Email to members of Committee informing them of Selectman Weil's offer

4. Email to Selectman Weil requesting advice on how to present amendment

5. Flyer given out at Town Meeting

6. Comments I have received

7. Comments made to Selectmen 5/26/05

Below is an email that I sent to Selectman Weil for advice on how to word our amendment along with his response.
revised 5/20/05

• The two emails below show that Selectman Weil knew about our proposal prior to town meeting, and he did not protest at that time.

• This is additional proof that I did not blindside the Selectmen.

• This also explains how I told him that the committee had decided not to ask for a full time harbormaster.

• It also shows that Selectman Weil did have knowledge of the proposal prior to the town meeting.

• One reason Selectman Weil gave for opposing my appointment is "Neither the Budget Advisory Committee nor the Selectmen agreed and so informed the Harbor and Waterfront Committee. Mr. Taylor, knowingly mislead the 2005 town meeting by saying the committee had never received a response from the Selectmen. He persisted in this statement even after  the facts had been correctly stated by Selectmen Knight."  I do not recall the Selectmen ever informing the committee  If Selectmen did inform the  Committee, I would like to know how and when. At the Town Meeting, Selectmen Knight only said the Selectmen responded to our request by deciding against the request for a full time Harbormaster. He never stated the HWC was informed about their decision.

Dated 3/12/05 at 4:28 pm

Gordon,

The Harbor and Waterfront Committee has decided that they would like to raise the Harbormaster's salary by $4,500 to $15,000. Lee supports this and was supposed to get us appropriate wording for the amendment to Article 49. This did not happen and I am wondering if you could help us with the wording
of the amendment. Hopefully the additional $4500 would come from raising mooring fees.

As I said we would like to amend article 49 to appropriate $24,750 for Harbor Management.

I realize that I told you that the HWC had decided not to ask for a fulltime harbormaster which is correct, but after I left they decided to go for a raise. It is our hope to develop a plan for a fulltime harbormaster, which we would then discuss with the selectmen and present to a future Town meeting.

Thank you for any help you can provide.

Burr Taylor
PS. Also, thanks for speaking up at the Selectmen's meeting.

 

Burr
You simply propose from the floor to amend the article by replacing the amount moved with a new total amount and having the Article and the new amount on a piece of paper to give to the Moderator. You understand that the Selectmen have said they do not support this. If Lee changes his position from what is on the warrant, then I would reserve the right to do so on other articles. Thus, I am somewhat surprised to hear that he will support it.

Gordon