Kittery Town Council hopefuls debate issues, record of ex-councilor
KITTERY, Maine — Town Council candidates addressed preserving the town's cherished working waterfront Monday night in a Traip Academy student-led forum, about three weeks before the election.
Incumbent council member Cameron Hamm, former councilors Charles Denault and Ken Lemont, and town board member H. Scott Mason took questions from students at Town Hall as part of the school's traditional candidates' night event. The four are running for two council seats, one currently held by Hamm and the other occupied by Councilor George Dow, who is not seeking re-election in November.
Celia Kehl, the high school's student council president, asked the candidates about the role that Kittery's waterfront, the town's “most defining feature,” plays in its future. The question comes after an August planning proposal showed developer Green & Company Real Estate had a purchase and sale agreement in place to possibly convert the iconic Warren's Lobster House to eight condominiums and a 20-slip marina.
The four candidates all spoke in favor of exploring avenues to preserve the working waterfront in Kittery and preventing gentrification. The council hopefuls additionally faced questions about affordable housing in Kittery, development, the impact of adult-use retail cannabis stores in town, work-life balance, law enforcement and tackling controversial issues as councilors. They also discussed Denault's 2021 resignation from the council, along with Lemont.
Polls will be open on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 7, at the Kittery Community Center from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m.
Candidates in support of preserving Kittery's working waterfront
Lemont, a commercial fisherman, spoke first on the issue, saying that affluent people moving into Maine has led to working waterfronts being pushed out with the development of high-end residential units.
“I do not think that's the direction we want to move into. It's not going to help your affordable housing. It's not going to move us in that direction, and it's going to take away the working waterfront,” he said. “There's got to be a way. There's a lot of people in this town that are a heck of a lot smarter than I am that can sit down, come up with some ideas, and come up with a plan.”
He and Hamm both stated that the town could look to apply for state and federal grants that would help protect Kittery's waterfront.
Hamm's response noted that the town needs to address “climate vulnerability” when looking at the waterfront. One of the Kittery Climate Action Plan Task Force's 29 proposed climate action solutions calls for the town to “preserve and revitalize” working waterfronts by supporting aquacultural developments, allow
only water-dependent uses along the coastline, and require future developments to be both climate and flood resilient, and energy efficient.
“It is important for the town to take into account what waterfront properties we need to protect, what needs to be modified and what needs to be let go,” Hamm said.
“That’s the charm of Kittery. Those are the things that mean a lot to us and we can’t lose it,” said Denault, a retired Kittery Police Department sergeant.
Mason, a member of the Kittery Port Authority and the town’s Economic Development Committee, added that if Warren’s was approved by the Planning Board to be transformed into condominiums, that they may not even be used by their owners much during the year.
“That is an important characteristic of Kittery that I really value,” he said.
Town Council hopefuls address development
The candidates’ each responded to a question from one student about the impact of current development on the town.
Denault led the way in petitioning for zoning changes in town last year after a 900-unit mixed-use development called Dennett Landing was proposed on Dennett Road and Route 236. The petition garnered widespread support, and the Town Council later changed the zoning region from the mixed-use neighborhood zone to a business park, its former designation. The switch blocked the Dennett Landing proposal from moving forward.
Denault stated Monday night that the town has to be careful with switching zoning regulations and that he is a proponent of implementing affordable housing units at the Kittery Outlets.
“If we change stuff, we have to be able to look into the crystal ball to see what could happen next,” he said.
The intended purpose of the business park zone is “to encourage investment that promotes development of a highquality parklike setting for both the business and residential communities,” town code states.
Allowed uses for development in the zone include commercial parking lots or parking garages, mass transit stations, schools, museums, and hotels, as well as cluster residential development.
Mason said zoning regulations in areas like the Dennett Road and Route 236 could further revised through continued community engagement to bring in more housing.
“I think there’s a right way to do development, and I think we have some good ideas on how to do it,” he said. “I think that we should implement some of the ideas that the Town Council and the Housing Committee have thought about.”
Lemont responded to the question that private industry will determine growth and the Planning Board has the power to accept or reject proposals, though the Town Council should listen to residents’ opinions.
“What the Town Council should do with something like this is… go to the comprehensive plan and see what direction the town wanted to go in,” he said. “That’s developed and written and thought through by the citizens of this community.”
Hamm, a former renter in town who has since moved on to home ownership, argued the town will need hundreds of housing units in the next several years to meet current demand.
He added that not having affordable housing in Kittery is a barrier to retaining and recruiting town employees. The town, Hamm continued, should additionally seek out state and federal grant funding to support the development of accessory dwelling units in Kittery.
“That can mean the difference in somebody’s life,” he said. “It made a difference in mine essentially by being able to live here.”
Biggest challenge in town? Affordable housing top of mind
All four candidates told students and forum attendees that a lack of affordable housing is a major challenge the town faces.
Denault said he wants to increase affordable housing supply and also lower taxes for town citizens. He said the town must look at the big picture and determine what type of housing the community needs most, giving the example of long waitlists for available senior citizen housing.
“Are we going to start sacrificing the charm of Kittery to make housing affordable and reduce some of our zoning requirements to establish that? And what are we giving up to meet those goals? I think it’s collaboratively (going to) have to be worked out with citizens, developers and council and town staff to see if we can find a way forward?” he said.
Hamm’s take is that town leaders should look to permit more multifamily housing, help residents overcome a “NIMBY” attitude, or “not in my backyard,” and incentivize affordable housing for developers.
“You can talk about charm all you want but if you can’t get your foot in the door, what does it matter? I’m lucky to be here and I want to make sure that other people also get the chance to be here,” Hamm said.
Lemont, a landlord in town, said the town needs to ease regulations in order for more property owners to rent their units at below fair market prices. If elected back onto the body, the former councilor also hopes to reduce property taxes by advocating for the town’s property tax assistance program to be opened up to more people.
The program aims to give certain residents a credit on their taxes. Eligible residents must be at least 70 years old, have a household income not exceeding 300% of the federal poverty level and must have lived in town for the past 10 consecutive years.
Lemont is in favor of opening up the program’s eligibility to those at least 65 years old.
“It is extremely hard to say you’re going to reduce property taxes,” he said. “There’s a lot of projects that people want funded and the reality is the school budget is 61% of the town budget, and people overwhelmingly support education in this community.”
Mason’s stance is that affordable housing can help alleviate traffic and parking issues in town and could help increase school enrollment levels. The town board member also believes the town should continue finding solutions to take on climate change impacts in Kittery.
“There’s some good things happening that have come out of this Town Council and I think we should stay on that train,” he said.
Two candidates endorse each other and revisit 2021 resignation by Denault
Hamm and Mason endorsed each other for the Town Council during the forum’s closing comment period, with Hamm calling out Denault in the wake of the councilor’s March 2021 resignation from the council.
A town-hired investigator found Denault surveilled town public works personnel in early 2021 after the ex-councilor received a complaint about the department. He conducted his own investigation into employees, which town officials later deemed a violation of the town charter.
Denault presented his findings to Town Manager Kendra Amaral but resigned shortly thereafter. He ran for the Town Council in the fall 2021 election only eight months after resigning but lost.
Lemont resigned a few days after Denault, citing health matters in his resignation letter. He was later found to have played a minimal role in Denault’s selfled investigation into town personnel.
“I believe myself and Mr. Mason are both forward-thinking, qualified candidates eager to take on the challenges of tomorrow, contrasted with Mr. Denault, who is stuck in the past, mired in conflict and drama for violation of the town charter just a few years ago,” Hamm said. “Who represents us matters. We decide who we are as a community, what we value and who represents us. Please vote.”
In his introductory remarks, Denault addressed what he called “disinformation” that has swirled since his resignation from the Town Council.
“The town felt that I acted against the town charter,” he said. "Thinking I may have done something wrong, I took the responsible thing to do and I resigned from the council. It was later determined that I acted legally and I was upholding my fiduciary oath. When I left I told you the truth.”
Denault said there is very little discussion and debate among current councilors and that the body vastly votes on matters unanimously.
“We must not have a rubber stamp council,” he continued. “Councilors need to do their work and they need to make good decisions. I accomplished many things while I was on the council, like working to save your money, keeping Kittery’s charm, lowering taxes, reducing spending, slowing expansion and asking questions. That’s why I’m running.”
Lemont, a former state legislator and Kittery School Committee member, did not at all address his resignation from two years ago.
“It’s important that you vote. It’s important that your voice is heard. I can’t thank you enough for the opportunity to even be able to run,” Lemont stated.