Dear Editor:

Recently, a resident lodged an ethics complaint against Alna First Select Board Member Ed Pentaleri. The complaint alleges that, before being elected, Pentaleri expressed his disapproval of a highly controversial boat ramp project on the Sheepscot River. And now that he is serving as first select board member, he should not be involved in any action regarding that project.

This “conflict of interest” complaint simply doesn’t hold water. Well before Ed was elected, Alna’s Board of Appeals denied a permit for the boat ramp, finding that the town’s shoreland zoning ordinance prohibited such structures. Select board members at the time, Charlie Culbertson and Linda Kristan, consulted with the town attorney and voted to pursue court action to enforce the Board of Appeals’ decision.

Ed was not a party to those decisions. But after being elected, he worked cooperatively with prior and current select board members to carry out those decisions. After all, a key responsibility of select board members is to enforce the town’s ordinances. In following through on decisions made before he was even in office, Ed has simply done what Alna residents elected him to do.

The recent ethics complaint not only lacks substance, it has reopened old wounds. Previous select board members were verbally attacked and threatened with a recall vote as a result of the controversy.

Still, Alna has come a long way in healing this divisiveness. On April 1, dozens of neighbors came together to hold a ham and bean supper to benefit the Alna Volunteer Fire Department. This incredibly successful event served some 325 people and raised $5,000. And it demonstrates what we can accomplish when we cooperate in the town’s best interests. As a community, we need to work together to tackle the important and timely matters that deserve our attention.

Carol Gardner

Alna