Former Town Council member Melissa Costella last week asked the council to enact a policy that would create a system for recalling elected officials for misconduct.
Costella noted at the Jan. 27 meeting that the council has “fiscal responsibility and accountability” for the Town, and suggested this obligation could raise “significant concern regarding our elected officials.”
As it is, she said, “Our citizens have no assurances that these standards will be consistently upheld. Specifically, I propose the creation of a legal framework permitting the recall of elected officials when warranted,” she said.
Costella emphasized that she was not accusing the standing council of misdeeds, but that she favors “a proactive safeguard ensuring that if standards of public office are not met, appropriate action can be taken.”
Citing what she claimed were issues in neighboring towns, such as misappropriation of funds, misconduct and self-serving actions, Costella said, “There is no better time than now to establish guarantees that such behavior will neither occur or be tolerated within our hometown.”
Council members did not respond to the matter.
In other business at the Jan. 27 meeting:
- The Town has signed a public agreement with the Maine Department of Transportation for installation of a traffic light in front of Marshwood High School sometime in 2027, according to Assistant Town Manager Jennifer Janelle. The town will provide $5,000 toward design work for a pedestrian crossing on Route 236 as part of the traffic light installation; that funding will be derived from Punkintown Tax Increment Financing District revenue.
- Councilors approved a partnership with Northeastern University that will promote the establishment of small businesses within South Berwick. No details were provided at the meeting.
- The council agreed to include a Small Business Microgrant Program in next year’s budget that would provide funding of up to $5,000 to “help bridge the gap from idea to a functioning business in South Berwick,” according to DeCarlo Brown, director of economic development for the town.
- It was announced that Medical Reimbursement Services Inc. has been selected as the Town’s vendor for medical billing, coding and collections for the new municipal ambulance service.
- The council approved Dovetail Consulting, out of Peak’s Island, to be the town’s owner representative for the Town Hall renovation project. The firm bills itself as a “team of seasoned professionals with experience in guiding complex projects from concept to completion.”
- Applications for the Vaughan Fund, a philanthropic fund that supports recreational activity in town, are being accepted until Feb. 28.
