Published on March 4, 2009

WESTMORE — Amongst the crowd of 80 taxpayers at the Westmore Town Meeting, there were no nude people.

However, tension was in the air as Vince Dotoli, the moderator, went through each article listed in the annual report.  The meeting began at 10 a.m. and after six and a half hours of debating articles 1-16, 18 and 19, a voter suggested to fast forward to the highly-anticipated article 29, which stated, “Shall the town appropriate the sum of $25,000 to support the enforcement of a proposed ordinance against nudity in the town of Westmore.”

With each article, the hard economic times were mentioned.  Towns are trying to cut back as much as they can to save money for an unpredictable fiscal year.

“Twenty-five thousand dollars added onto our tax bill, this is where we should cut,” said Bob Decker, Westmore’s deliquent tax collector, who did not favor the article because of financial reasons. 

However, several members of a group of advocates called Friends of Willoughby South West Cove were in attendance at the meeting, although all of them were nonvoters in the town of Westmore. 

“The Westmore Association voted two-to-one not to put an ordinance,” one member, a visitor from Montpelier who wished to remain nameless, said, adding that an opposing group claimed it was the other way around.  “We have won every battle.”

However, some felt strongly about using tax dollars to enforce the proposed ordinance to ban nudity.

“All the people in this room that go to that beach show up to these meetings with clothes on; I thought they were nudists,” said Tony Strange, a voter in the crowd.  “I’ve had someone in this room flip me off driving by my house.  I don’t think this is funny.”

“Let’s move on,” came a yell from the crowd.

“The beach is such a welcoming environment,” said Heather Lanoue, a member of Friends of Willoughby S.W.C.  “Canadians go there and are pumping money into the economy.”

Because many people felt so strongly about this subject, but most just wanted to put it to rest, a member of the crowd suggested they cast a written ballot to ensure the privacy of the voters and prevent any more discussion of the topic.  Article 29 was defeated.

Another well-discussed issue was Article 16, which would appropriate $10,000 for a milfoil project, which would keep the invasive plant species tame in Lake Willoughby.  Tourism, which is a huge asset for the town of Westmore, would be greatly reduced if the lake got the reputation of an infestation.  Grants, which have been available in the past, to keep milfoil down in the lake, may not be available this year because of the economy.

After many minutes of discussion, a member of the crowd called the question.  However, they proceeded without a second.  Because of the mistake, a small break ensued. 

Jereme LeBlanc, a student working on his senior thesis at Johnson State College, works with his mother as a business owner and partner for Willoughby Milfoil Service.

After the short break, Mr. LeBlanc asked for an amendment to Article 16, asking for an appropriation of $35,000. 

In the midst of discussion, Tony Strange suggested that the town skip a year of milfoil management and cut the $10,000 altogether to save the town money for the fiscal year. 

Mr. LeBlanc said not doing the milfoil prevention would be “shooting yourself in the foot and wasting thousands of dollars we’ve already invested.”

“Growth and fragmentation would spread the milfoil.  If it grew to reach the surface, boats would spread it throughout the lake,” he added.

However, having this much money for the milfoil project does not mean that is what the town must spend.  “I’m a dairy farmer, I don’t spend it if I don’t have to,” Selectman Burton Hinton said.

The voters passed Mr. LeBlanc’s amendment, and the milfoil project was appropriated $35,000 this year. 

Other issues at Westmore Town Meeting included the salaries of the town clerk, and other officers of the town.  Randi Pickel, who in the beginning of the meeting ran against Gail Bertellitti as town lister, made the case that Westmore spent approximately $30,000 on the lister last year.  She compared the salary of Barton’s lister last year at $6,900.  She claimed in her preliminary speech that she would “enforce professionalism” if she were elected, but lost the vote.  Ms. Pickel was a strong advocate for cutting the budget in several places including the $2,500 for select board assistance in Article 10. 

“It’s ludicrous,” Ms. Pickel said when mentioning the pay rate of the staff of the town clerk’s office, only open 28 hours per week.  “They’re only there for a paycheck.”

Other articles included police and security and $20,000 for Westmore Fireman’s Association, which both passed.  Also, $27,300 for trash, recycling and pickup, which passed.