At the end of February, when my mother-in-law went off the island to do some errands, she discovered that all four of her car tires were frozen in ice, as firmly as bezel-set stones on a ring. With her car out of commission, she changed her plans, found a ride, and did some very local errands before taking the next boat back to the island at 11 o’clock. Other islanders had similar experiences with their cars locked in the ice. Just when everything started to melt, we had another storm and another blast of cold temperatures.
Our town pays for snow removal in the parking lot we lease from Northeast Harbor, but the plow can’t avoid making those snow piles behind the parked cars. When the sun came out after the March 2 storm, I headed off island to visit my mother, who has just moved to Bar Harbor. I walked with my neighbors up to the parking lot, noticing they had something in their hands I did not: a snow shovel. We usually put one in our car after the first snow storm in December. With such a mild start to the winter, I never thought about it again. Luckily, Mike Westphal and Mark Alley gave me a push out of my parking spot.
Parking outside is just another part of island living when our only transportation to and from home is by passenger ferry or private boat. The extra time it takes to walk from the car to the boat bookends the time we need for business ashore. For doctor’s appointments, hair appointments, grocery shopping, a trip to the bus station or the airport in Bangor, no matter what, we figure in some extra time for our uncommon transportation issues. It is wise to figure in even more time for flexibility. If the ferry encounters engine trouble, a large load of freight or an unexpected extra run to bring repairmen to the islands, it might run later than expected. In the winter, road conditions can slow you down or maybe your car won’t start. If you remembered a snow shovel, you may take the time to lend a hand to someone who did not. With the help of experience, islanders have learned to manage their time pretty well.
In addition to a variety of weather conditions, the month of March is also time for Town Meeting. This year the March 12 meeting was held on Great Cranberry Island. There was a very respectable turnout of voters and nonvoting residents from both Islesford and Cranberry, and extra chairs had to be brought to the firehouse from the Community Center across the street. We even had representation from the smallest of the Cranberry Isles, Bear Island, when Ambassador Charles and Nelia Dunbar drove up from Brunswick to attend the meeting for the first time. The meeting lasted from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a one-hour break for a fabulous lunch served by the Ladies Aid in the Community Center (see story, page 11).
This was the fourth Annual Town Meeting to which I have been elected as moderator. It is a job that makes me feel both extremely nervous and rewardingly challenged. Fortunately, the Maine Municipal Association has put together a very helpful publication know as the Maine Moderator’s Manual, A Guide to Town Meeting. It is 23 pages of very useful information for running a Town Meeting and I would be lost without it. On the night before the meeting, I read through the Town Warrant articles and the Moderator’s Manual so I can mark page numbers that might be helpful, “in case something comes up.” There are always a few items being discussed in the store, the post office and on the ferry, that forecast a heated debate at Town Meeting. But, like a predicted storm, you don’t always get what you think is coming.
Three articles were put on the warrant as a response to Citizen’s Petitions. One proposed a plan to sell a mainland building owned by the Town, one proposed establishing a year round police department, and one asked for a one year moratorium on the creation of any new town ordinances. Each article seemed to be more contentious than the one before. There had been a lot of talk around town. As the assembled meeting was working its way to creating an amended version of the first petitioned article, a former Selectman raised his hand to make a point of order to the moderator. Citizen’s Petitions must be voted on as written, you can not amend them. The Town Clerk confirmed this from her larger manual, and I learned something. All three of these articles were voted down, though they generated a lot of important discussion among voters. The inability to amend a Citizen’s Petition prevented the possibility of a compromise on any of these articles, but it also prevented some heated debate, allowing more time for the rest of the meeting. I still have a lot to learn about moderating a Town meeting and if I’m lucky I will get to do it again. Each time, I walk away thinking about what I would have done differently and could have done better. Learning to be a good moderator might just be like learning to live on an island in winter. Keep an eye on the upcoming storms, expect the unexpected, be flexible, and practice good time management. Oh, and keep a shovel on hand, just in case. q
Islesford, March 20, 2007