Select Board also approves funding to remove hazardous elm near school walkway and nominates Smith to Municipal Waste Hub board.
Nov 28, 2025
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We have a correction at the bottom of this story, but we felt it was very important to resend it out immediately. Apologies for the error and for filling up your email.
SOUTHWEST HARBOR—The Southwest Harbor Select Board accepted the resignation of appeals board Scott Preston and removed Alyson Meiselman from the board, on November 25.
The changes came after multiple executive sessions. Meiselman’s resignation acceptance had been removed from an earlier portion of the agenda.
“The resignation was not offered. It was our misunderstanding. We apologize for that. So we’re removing that item from the agenda,” Burby said at the beginning of the meeting.
Then, after another executive session near the end of the meeting, the board came out of that closed session and removed Meiselman from the board, saying it would issue a finding of fact.
“I make a motion to remove Allison Meiselman from the Southwest Harbor Board of Appeals, effective 11-25-2025,” Vice Chair Chapin McFarland motioned.
Earlier this week, Meiselman had sent an email to the press and town officials stating that she had never expressed a desire to resign from the board, which had been written in a November 19 letter from Select Board Chair Noah Burby and also in a Town Manager Karen Reddersen’s November manager’s memo.
Meiselman recorded at least one of the executive sessions about her position where she said she did not want to resign her position, but could not serve with Preston.
At a July 30 meeting, the appeals board had determined that a photo of the 72 Clark Point Road being discussed that Meiselman was offering was evidence being submitted by an appeals board member and then voted to recuse Meiselman from the hearing about the property.
Since then, there have been multiple executive sessions, which are not open to the public, that detailed only that they were about appointees. Appeals board members—and all other members of non-elected town boards and committees—are appointed.
Within an open meeting, Maine law allows boards and committees of towns to have an executive session. Minutes are not taken. The public does not attend. The contents are considered confidential. As detailed in state statute, those closed sessions can only be used in certain matters which include:
“Discussion or consideration of the employment, appointment, assignment, duties, promotion, demotion, compensation, evaluation, disciplining, resignation or dismissal of an individual or group of public officials, appointees or employees of the body or agency or the investigation or hearing of charges or complaints against a person or persons subject to the following conditions:
- (1) An executive session may be held only if public discussion could be reasonably expected to cause damage to the individual’s reputation or the individual’s right to privacy would be violated;
- (2) Any person charged or investigated must be permitted to be present at an executive session if that person so desires;
- (3) Any person charged or investigated may request in writing that the investigation or hearing of charges or complaints against that person be conducted in open session. A request, if made to the agency, must be honored; and
- (4) Any person bringing charges, complaints or allegations of misconduct against the individual under discussion must be permitted to be present.”
In Maine, school boards talking about the potential expulsion or suspension of a student; certain property purchases or use; labor contract discussions; some legal consultations; some discussion or records that state statue prohibits happening in open meeting; some examination content; and some consultations with a code enforcement and the municipal officers are also allowed to be in executive session.
Both motions were unanimously approved.
OTHER BUSINESS
The select board voted to recommend Tony Smith, a resident of Mount Desert, for election to the Municipal Review Committee (now Municipal Waste Hub) Board of Directors.
The select board agreed to pay for half of the tree removal on private property on the corner of Maple Lane and Clark Point Road.
“This is a massive tree, and the limbs, when outstretched probably (cover) the whole road,” board member Dan Norwood said. “And yes, it’s not on town property, but boy, if that falls down, that might hurt somebody.”
The elm tree is dead and there is concern because it’s on what Town Manager Karen Reddersen explained as a “potential safety hazard to those that are utilizing that walkway. It is a walkway that a number of—I’ve seen it directly—parents and children use to go to school on that pathway.”
The total cost to remove the tree on Margaret McVey’s property is $3,800. The town’s portion will be $1,900.
“The highway foreman and town manager conducted a site review and, while not in the town’s right of way, confirmed the status of the tree as a safety hazard. While it is not the usual practice to fund removal of trees on private property, this tree is entwined in the power lines and if limbs or the tree fall, pose a significant risk,” Reddersen wrote.
The select board agreed that they wanted to make note that this would not be precedent.
“I am nervous about the town covering the costs for things like that, especially … when it’s privately owned, but in this particular case. where the tree is so large and it does cover so much of the airspace over the town … right of way,” it should be removed, select board member Natasha Johnson said.
Burby agreed, suggesting that in the record it state that this was an extraordinary exception due to the location and safety risk of this particular tree.
LINKS TO LEARN MORE
This is a link to the select board page of minutes and agendas.
This is a link to the appeals board page of minutes and agendas.
CORRECTION! This story went out in an earlier version. It was corrected at 9:19 a.m. and we are incredibly sorry for the error.
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