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Residents press Brunswick Council on PFAS, ICE presence and rising school spending during public comment
Summary
Several residents urged action on PFAS contamination at the Landing, criticized ICE activity and questioned police responses, and raised alarms about a school budget that a speaker said reached $62 million over seven years despite flat enrollment.
Public comment at the Feb. 17 Brunswick Town Council meeting featured a series of community concerns including PFAS contamination on the Landing, the local presence and conduct of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the town's school budget trajectory.
Resident Shaun Hogan opened public comment by urging tighter control of school spending, saying the school budget "has risen to $62 million — a 55% increase over seven years" while student population remained steady and achievement scores declined. Resident Robert McEwen and Bruce Kantner reiterated environmental and public-health worries about soil piles on the Landing, noting some soil tests exceeded EPA standards and calling for remediation.
Ralph Keyes asked the Council to impose a moratorium on creating additional soil piles and to pursue a broader evaluation of PFAS exposure risks. Peggy Siegel thanked the Council for ongoing work on contaminated soil and water at the base.
Multiple speakers raised concerns about ICE. Carolyn Ernest framed ICE presence in Brunswick as a civil-rights issue and described local police as witnesses to ICE actions; David Webber sharply criticized ICE as "an evil entity" and rejected the Police Chief's reported statement that he had no authority to intervene with a federal agency. Judy Melche-King urged the Police Department to act as observers at ICE incidents to protect constitutional rights; Donna Chale of Brunswick Indivisible echoed calls for police to prioritize the community.
Max Burtis, vice chair of the Shellfish Committee and a local clam digger and oyster farmer, introduced himself and expressed a desire to work with the Council on marine and shellfish matters. Jennifer Navarro offered a contrasting perspective, praising police professionalism in her family’s experience while urging the Council to reconsider long-term funding approaches for the capital improvement program.
The public comment period recorded these concerns but did not produce formal Council action on PFAS, ICE or school budgeting at that meeting.
