MOUNT DESERT — On the recommendation of Town Manager Durlin Lunt, the Select Board on Monday authorized him to develop a code of ethics for members of town boards and committees.
The board had previously asked him to get a legal opinion on conflicts of interest.
Lunt said he asked Andy Hamilton, one of the town’s attorneys, if people who have a conflict should be able to serve on a town board or committee. Summarizing Hamilton’s written opinion, he said, “The answer is unequivocally yes; there is no reason they cannot serve. However, they probably need to do a better job of disclosing biases, conflicts of interest, etcetera.”
Lunt said he would work with the town’s new human resources director, Zachary Harris, who the town shares with Bar Harbor, in developing a code of ethics.
“We really should have one; that’s pretty standard,” he said. “Most towns and cities do have ethics policies in place for their boards and committees. That protects the community and the volunteers [who serve on boards and committees].”
The town of Winthrop has a Code of Ethics for Appointed Officials that reads, in part, “I agree to avoid any actual conflict of interest when conducting my appointed duties and to provide public notice and take actions to avoid even the appearance of such conflicts should they occur.”
The city of Saco’s Code of Ethics/Conduct states, “City Officials shall not deliberate, act upon, approve, disapprove or recommend any matter or decision in which they have or hold a material personal interest…
“Any city official who believes there is a conflict of interest…shall disclose the nature and extent of such interest…Once such disclosures have been made, the city official shall refrain from further deliberation or voting on the item concerned.”
Select Board member Martha Dudman said the creation of an ethics policy for Mount Desert boards and committees is “a great idea,” and other board members agreed.
Lunt said Hamilton also recommended that the town provide ethics training for board and committee members.
The ethics question has arisen, in part, because of recent criticism of Katrina Carter’s service on the town’s ad hoc Land Use Zoning Ordinance (LUZO) Advisory Group, which is looking into how the town might license and possibly regulate vacation rentals, also known as weekly or short-term rentals.
Carter owns Carter’s Real Estate in Northeast Harbor. The company’s website currently lists 66 vacation rental properties in Northeast Harbor. Most of them are in the village of Northeast Harbor, but a few are outside the village, on Sargent Drive or Peabody Drive, for example.
Contacted Monday, Carter declined to comment on the conflict-of-interest issue.
Dick Broom covers the towns of Mount Desert and Southwest Harbor, Mount Desert Island High School and the school system board and superintendent's office. He enjoys hiking with his golden retriever and finding new places for her to swim.
