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News Feature

Deer Isle
Originally published in Island Ad-Vantages, January 31, 2013
Shellfish ordinance passes without a hitch

by Alice Wilkinson

In less than 10 minutes on January 24, 19 Deer Isle voters approved the amended shellfish ordinance. The special town meeting followed a public hearing on January 17, at which the details of the ordinance were explained and discussed.

First Selectman Neville Hardy was elected moderator, and after he read the ordinance, a motion came from the audience to approve it. That motion was seconded, and although Hardy asked for questions, there were none. Hardy said he would like a secret ballot, but Deer Isle resident Kathleen Billings-Pezaris said he couldn’t make the motion because he was the moderator.

No one else moved to have a secret ballot, and the original motion was voted on and approved by a show of hands. One person voted against the ordinance, but later revealed that he was voting against a secret ballot.

The approved ordinance raises the price of non-commercial resident and non-resident licenses from $1 to $2 and from $10 to $20, respectively. It also includes soft-shell clams, quahogs and hen clams in the general definition of shellfish. Previously, hen clams and quahogs were not covered by the ordinance.

The meeting was attended by 27 people, most of whom were clam diggers.

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