By Amanda Estes
Staff Writer
At a time when South Portland city councilors are having difficulty finding residents who are willing to serve on the city’s various boards and committees, the council is considering repealing  a resolve that currently prohibits a resident from serving on more than one committee at a time.
Councilors will review the resolve, that outlines rules for seats on town committees such as the planning board or the conservation committee during their Monday, July 16 meeting.
With only four councilors – Kay Loring, Ralph Baxter, Claude Morgan and Maxine Beecher – present at Monday’s workshop, the council explored repealing the resolve, passed in 1965, in order to allow applicants like South Portland resident Shay Bellas to serve on more than one committee. Bellas currently serves on the library advisory board and applied for a position on the conservation commission.
In a position paper to the council, Corporation Counsel Mary Kahl stated, “Apparently, at the time this resolve was passed, the council wanted to provide opportunities for service to as many residents as possible, and therefore chose to limit the number of boards or committees residents could serve on.”
Reached by phone on Wednesday, Bellas, who has a political science degree and some experience in law, said she is still very involved with environmental and legal issues.
“I was asked to be on the committee and the reason that I said yes, if I can be, is simply I really value Maine and trying to keep it as close as we can to the way it was,” she said.
She said it is important to “make sure new development doesn’t eliminate all of the possibilities for recreation and conservation.” To that extent, she said serving on two boards such as the conservation commission and the planning board could cause conflicts of interest.
Beecher, who said she was inclined to keep the resolve in place, said she had been under the impression that Hughes had been searching for a “resident expert.”
Speaking on behalf of Jim Hughes, who was charged with the task of  filling the conservation commission appointment, Morgan said the commission is having a difficult time making quorum, which requires the presence of four members. Morgan said Hughes has had a difficult time finding a “warm body” let alone someone with expertise. 
Morgan said Councilor Jim Soule’s position on the possible repeal was not known.
Baxter, who is currently in the middle of a search for a volunteer for the board of appeals, said councilors need to do a better job of searching and finding applicants.
“We aren’t doing our jobs,” he said. “I just think they’re out there and we’re not reaching them.”
Baxter suggested the city increase advertising efforts or consider letting every councilor pick applicants from anywhere in the city. He also said there are two aspects to getting a quorum at every meeting and part of the problem is that people stop going to meetings.
In anticipation of her absence from the workshop, Linda Boudreau said in an email to the council she is opposed to repealing the resolve.
“I feel like we need to involve as many people in municipal government as we can,” she said. “This makes us more ‘transparent,’ is good for city PR/advocacy, and helps people who might be interested in serving on the council to see what public service asks of them.”
Loring pointed out Boudreau is an “at large” councilor, who has a larger pool of applicants to choose from. She said she has had a difficult time finding applicants in her district. Due to everything that comes with public service, including legal problems, Loring said people seem reluctant to get involved.
If the council does repeal the resolve, Loring said she would be in favor of an exemption that would not allow the same person to serve on the planning board and the board of appeals.
Kahl, who said there is always a possibility someone serving on double boards will run into a conflict of interest, recommended the conservation commission be included in the exemption since they have interactions with the planning board.
Planning Director Tex Haeuser agreed with Kahl’s recommendation and said most site plans come to the planning board with suggestions from the conservation group.
Dick Bernard, chair of the conservation commission, asked the council to address the issue of longevity, but Morgan steered the conversation steered the conversation away from what he called a “hot potato” issue.
“The worst moniker that South Portland could get is being a good ol’ boys club,” Bernard said.