(Lamoine) — It might be that voters felt five heads are better than three. It could have been the relative lack of discussion on a straight-forward question. Whatever the case, Lamoine voters opted to create a five member Board of Selectmen. The change will become effective at the regular town meeting in March, 2005.
The vote on June 8th was 212 to 184 in favor of the citizen petition question that sought to increase the board’s size. The new board will be equal in number to the School Committee which was increased to five members many years ago.

The passage also means there will be another vote in November, this one to affirm a change in an election ordinance in town to reflect the increased size, and to clarify that the elections in March will select three Selectman positions, but at staggered terms. Under the proposal approved on a draft article, one position would be for one year, one for two years, and one for three years, then stagger with 3-year terms afterwards. Should the referendum vote fail, Selectmen would hold a special town meeting before the nomination petitions become available to clarify how the new positions ought to be filled.
Some were quite surprised the matter passed after the public hearings on the question. In two sessions, there was virtually no support for the question. Most who spoke said the idea was costly, and a larger board of Selectmen could potentially bog down decisions. Many of the arguments against the increased size centered around how difficult it is to find candidates for the one position available each year.