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Penobscot County commission refers complaint alleging commissioner holds incompatible offices to county counsel
Summary
A public commenter alleged Commissioner Dan Tremble simultaneously holds a seat on the Bangor City Council and as a Penobscot County commissioner in possible violation of Maine law; commissioners voted to refer the matter to county legal counsel for review, with Tremble recusing from the vote.
A resident complained to the Penobscot County Commission on March 11 that Commissioner Dan Tremble currently serves both on the county commission and the Bangor City Council and presented a signed letter asking the commission to determine whether that dual service violates state law.
Justin Cartier, identifying himself as a Bangor resident, read the letter and said the matter had been raised previously before the Bangor City Council and requested that the county “give resolution to this problem to determine, in fact, if Commissioner Trimble is in violation” of Maine law. Cartier and two signatories were named in the submission.
Commissioners discussed the complaint during the public-comment follow-up. The commission then voted to refer the allegation to county legal counsel for review and advice. Commissioner Dan Tremble stated he would have a conflict on the item and recused himself from discussion and the vote. The motion to refer was seconded and approved with two ayes and one recusal.
The letter cited “Maine Revised Statutes 30-A, subsection 52 (incompatible offices),” as the legal basis for the complaint; the commission’s action was solely to request counsel’s evaluation and not a judgment on the merits. The commission did not adopt any findings or take further action at the meeting.
The referral means county counsel will review the written complaint and the cited statutory language and report back to the commission with legal advice; no timeline for counsel’s response was set on the record.
The commission also noted that public comment does not allow for debate during the meeting and that any formal action beyond referral would follow counsel’s input.
