Belfast City Council 8/12/21 special hearing on taking tidal conservation land for Nordic's proposed tankfarm waste pipeline.

On August 12th the City of Belfast held a briefing, public hearing , council discussion then vote   on the proposal to exert eminent domain  and seize the intertidal flats owned by longtime landowner Jeffrey Mabee et al.   Have a listen or download mp3s of the meeting

* Part 1 Introduction & presentation by Belfast atty Bill Kelly  51 min 

* Part 2  Public hearing 1 hr 52min  *Ron Huber 2min 23sec  List of all speakers below

* Part 3 Discussion & Vote by Belfast City Council 1hr 6min

HOW IT WENT The meeting begins with a brief introduction, Then comes  a 50 minute presentation by  city attorney William  Kelly, spinning the permit review history of this project in support  of exerting  eminent domain. 

The hearing next switches to a two hour  public hearing (each speaker awarded 3 minutes) most challenging attorney Kelly's statements, but some supportive of seizing the land (names in red ink, below). Some, as in Ms Braybrook's  dramatic readings of  anonymous testifiers,  may have violated the hearing rules that all submitters of testimony.comments be ID'd.  

Public Speakers 8/12/21   

Remote Speakers

Paul Bernacki  OPPOSED

Allen Cohen  Winterport  OPPOSED

Andrew Plessner STANDISH   SUPPORT

David Perkins  L'ville  OPPOSED notes fishing

David Smith Belfast retired teacher OPPOSED

Dick Swain  OPPOSED 

Jeffrey Mabee Belfast.    OPPOSED

Jeff Limlin, Belfast  SUPPORTS

Glenn Montgomery Belfast NEUTRAL/ SUPPORTS

Jeffrey Bast, Northport/Bayside OPPOSED

Karen Estie  SUPPORTS

Kathryn Shagas  Belfast OPPOSED

Kathy Hayes/ SUPPORTS 

Diane Braybrook  SUPPORTS - 10 Phantom quotes 

Lily Piel belfast opposed

Ron Huber  Belfast  opposed 

Seth Thayer Northport SUPPORT 

Steve Byers Waldo   OPPOSED 

Suzanne Stone Belfast   OPPOSED

Zafra Whitcomb Belfast    SUPPORTS

There were 65 in the Zoom Queue. Many only there as listeners not testifiers.

LIVE SPEAKERS AT MEETING 16 ALL OPPOSED

Janie Philips Opposed

Amy Grant, Belfast Opposed

Mike Samway Bayside in 1940s Opposed

Kim Tucker, Opposed

Debbie Smith, Opposed

Christopher Grodin, Belfast  Opposed animal cruelty

Deborah Capwell,  Belfast  Opposed

Jane Giles, Belfast. Reads joint letter of Tozier Street residents opposed to em domain

Walden Merkel,   Belfast   Opposed

Jim Merkel, Belfast Opposed

Frances Pan(?), Belfast  Opposed

 Christopher Hyk, Jr Belfast   Opposed

Jim Campbell, Belfast  Opposed

Jonathan Fulford, Belfast   Opposed Climate change

Rachel Herberner,  Belfast. Opposed. Climate change

Douglas Misca.  Bayside  Opposes Eminent domain before court decision.

 Finally  Part three it becomes an hourlong City Council discussion on the merits of the issues and concerns raised by the public, concluding with a council member's variant on a standard "used to be from Away", mobile-home-evoking stump rant glorifying Belfast's Company Town capitalism of the past as precursor to a foreign-owned tankfish  farming future  before the council finally finally got him to stop. They then voted unanimously in favor of the proposal  to seize the Intertidal Conservation Area.  

So it goes.