Jim Vallette, Natasha Johnson win select seats in lopsided victories in Southwest Harbor
SOUTHWEST HARBOR, May 4, 2022 - Select Chair George Jellison lost his veto power in Tuesday’s municipal elections when his reliable supporter Allen Willey received the fewest votes among the five candidates.
Jim Vallette, vice chair of the warrant committee, was the top vote getter with 189 votes, and Natasha Johnson received 174 votes.
Town Clerk Jennifer LaHaye reported, “We had a total of 311 ballots cast in this election.” SWH has 1,510 registered voters.
Willey was a proxy for whether voters still want Jellison to lord over the town from his bully pulpit.
Because the select board is down to only four members until November, at which time voters will replace Don Norwood who recently resigned, Jellison needed Willey’s vote to be effective.
In February, Willey and Jellison attempted to sabotage the candidacy of Natasha Johnson, co-owner of the Meristem marijuana store. The two voted against amending an ordinance which would have permitted Johnson to hold a select board seat while owning the store. Instead of recusing himself from voting against a challenger, Willey used his position to deny Johnson her constitutional right.
The language was amended after the town consulted the lawyer who drafted the marijuana ordinance, paving the way for her to hold office.
Willey enabled Jellison to joust with the Conservation Committee’s over grants to improve the town’s beloved Chris’s Pond, to add affordable housing and to build a small recreational area at the town landing - at no cost to taxpayers - and targeting small businesses like Charlotte Gill’s lobster pound because his sister across the street didn’t like the parking.
Despite a unanimous town meeting vote in 2021 to approve seeking the grants, Willey and Jellison put up road blocks so that the town this year missed the deadline for applying.
Here are the results from Tuesday as reported by LaHaye:
Select Board (3) year term
Natasha Johnson 174
Michael Magnani 92
Michael Sawyer 53
James Vallette 189
Allen Willey 52
MDI High School Trustee (3) year term
Steven L. Hudson 242
School Board Member (1) year term
Clifford Noyes 228
School Board Member (3) year term
John Izenour 93
Aaron “Beau” Lisy 160
Question 1: Passed
Yes 232
No 52
Question 2: Passed
Yes 238
No 45