HOULTON, Maine — Unhappy with the direction the Houlton town council is moving in its efforts to bring recreational marijuana businesses to Houlton, a group of local citizens has decided to take action.
According to Houlton Town Clerk Cathy O’Leary, two petitions are currently being circulated around town. One petition seeks to repeal the council’s July 24 vote which created a recreational marijuana ordinance to regulate where commercial growers of marijuana plants can set up shop in the community.
The second petition is a citizens’ initiative that looks to ban the licensing of retail marijuana establishments and social clubs, and the growing of recreational marijuana within town limits. This initiative would be decided by a referendum vote in November.
At the July 24 meeting, the town council listened to a number of citizens both for and against recreational marijuana. Nine people spoke in favor of the ordinance, while 14 were opposed. The council ultimately voted 4-1 in favor of the ordinance.
Houlton Town Manager Butch Asselin confirmed Monday that the petitions were being circulated, but said it was difficult to comment on because he was not sure if the documents would be returned.
“It is difficult to comment because I don’t know which of the two ordinances will come in,” he said. “If you look at the town charter, voters have the power to propose ordinances to the council. And if the council fails to adopt, it goes to a municipal election.”
Both petitions require at least 372 signatures of registered voters in Houlton to be complete. Those documents must be returned to the town office no later than 4 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 23.
To start a petition drive, a group of five registered voters must request documents from the town office stating the wording of their petition. The five individuals who sought the petition to repeal the council vote on the ordinance are Joan Barton, John Folsom, Halston Britton, Donald Holston and Francis Fitzpatrick.
Britton, Folsom and Fitzpatrick also joined Paul Nadeau and Lynn Weston in requesting documents for the citizens’ initiative.
Barton said Monday afternoon that the gathering of signatures has been going well, but she could not give an exact count on how many had been obtained so far. The group reached out to several local churches and was granted permission to set up tables in the parking lots before Sunday services.
The petitioners also set up tables in Monument Park last Friday, Saturday and Sunday and will be doing so again this coming weekend.
“It’s going about as well as you could expect,” she said. “The reason most people got involved, and many are signing the petition is because they don’t feel they were being heard [by the town council].”
Barton said she, and many others who have signed thus far, felt the town already voiced its stance in the November 2016 state election and were shocked to read in the Houlton Pioneer Times that the council was welcoming recreational marijuana businesses. At the polls last November, 935 Houlton residents voted in favor of recreational marijuana, while 1,762 opposed legalizing it.
“I am not a political person, by any means,” Barton said. “But when this happened, I said, ‘Enough is enough.’ The council is going to hear our voice one way or another. We may not prevail, but they will know we were not happy with the way things progressed.”
