Like the rest of the Sheepscot Valley Regional School Unit, most Alna voters sat out the June school budget vote.

That didn't sit well with Ralph Hilton, one of Alna's representatives to the school district's board. At a selectmen's meeting August 22, he admonished residents who chose not to vote, including Second Selectman Jonathan Villeneuve.

Education takes up more than 70 percent of the town's spending, Hilton said. “So you should be voting, whether you're for it or against it.”

He often hears people say they want local control, but that isn't reflected in turnout at the polls and at the budget meeting that precedes each vote, Hilton said.

“It's pretty sad,” he said of Alna's turnout of 20 voters at the polls in June.

Villeneuve said he didn't vote in June because he takes advantage of Alna's right to school choice, by sending his children to private schools. Because of that, voting on the public school budget doesn't feel right to him, he said.

In addition, the selectman said he saw no point in his wasting hours at the budget meeting, because the ideas he would offer wouldn't fly there, he said.

Hilton responded: “Wasting?”

“If you want to judge me ... that's your problem, not mine,” Villeneuve told Hilton.

“Thanks for the civics lesson,” Villeneuve said later in the discussion.

In response to a Wiscasset Newspaper email seeking further comment, Villeneuve wrote: “(I)f I attended (the budget meetings), I would most certainly advocate for revolutionary restructuring and cuts that I believe would never pass.

“Also, the fact that my family is so fortunate to be able to exercise school choice makes my position on cuts quite conflicted. Quite simply, any cuts or massive restructuring would have no effect on my children who attend a school outside of the RSU but would have direct effect on the children of my neighbors who do not exercise school choice,” Villeneuve wrote.

During the selectmen's meeting, he and Hilton agreed that Alna stands to benefit from recent changes to the district's cost-sharing formula. Villeneuve said he voted for the change.

Hilton thanked First Selectman David Abbott for participating in the district's budget process.

“Anybody that doesn't vote, don't complain to me about the school budget, because I'm not going to be very sympathetic,” Abbott said.

The June budget proposal lost; the new offer, with a lighter total tab on district towns, is up for vote September 10.

Hilton reminded residents they can vote absentee.

Unless someone has a special circumstance, the last day to get an absentee ballot in Alna is Thursday, September 5, according to an August 22 town email. “You can vote ... in the (town) office or you can fill out an absentee ballot application and take your ballot home with you. You can also fill out an application and take a ballot home for an immediate family member (who is) registered to vote ...,” Town Clerk Amy Warner wrote.

All absentee ballots need to be returned by the close of polls, September 10 at 2 p.m., Warner wrote.

District superintendent Howard Tuttle is hoping for a stronger voter turnout throughout the district on the latest offer.

“We need a lot more people. We need to hear everyone's voice at the polls,” Tuttle said August 23.

Susan Johns can be reached at 207-844-4633 or susanjohns@wiscassetnewspaper.com