Wave of political discord washes over typically calm Ogunquit
OGUNQUIT — After a busy summer of hosting guests at his bed and breakfast, Rick Barber looks forward to the quiet off-season in Ogunquit. With the beaches empty and most businesses closed, it’s a more social time for year-round residents.
“You don’t have as much going on, so you have time to check in on other people and spend more time with each other,” Barber said. “It’s much calmer. Sometimes it feels like a much friendlier town.”
But this off-season is different.
For the past three months, the smallest town in York County has been gripped by a debate over the future of three of its Select Board members, who could be removed from office following Ogunquit’s first recall election. The campaign to recall board members Charles “Bunky” Waite III, Madeline Mooney and Robert Winn Jr. began after the town’s fire chief was fired and grew in intensity as a citizens group lodged a litany of complaints and allegations against the elected officials they want to oust from office.
That tension spilled over this month during a contentious hearing on the validity of signatures on recall petitions and is likely to continue as the town gears up for the recall election, which is anticipated to happen in late March or early April.
Read more: https://www.centralmaine.com/2019/01/27/wave-of-political-discord-washes-over-maine-beach-town/
