The chairperson of the SAD 6 School Board claims that a fellow board member has stalked him over an unfounded residency issue.
Carlow
Chairperson Nathan Carlow of Buxton says board member Donald Marean of Hollis followed him and took photos of his car outside his grandmother’s house in Westbrook multiple times earlier this year because he believes Carlow is not living in Buxton.
SAD 6, the Bonny Eagle district, covers Buxton, Hollis, Limington, Standish and Frye Island.
Carlow, also a state legislator representing Buxton, told the American Journal he lives with his parents in Buxton and that he had temporarily stayed with his grandmother in Westbrook to assist her during a convalescence.
Marean would not comment on the matter to the American Journal. In an email declining to comment he said, however, “that there were two sides to every story” and for this story, “no one really cares except Carlow.”
Carlow disagrees.
“This is absurdly defamatory conduct, especially for someone who serves in public office, and it’s unfortunate that I’m being harassed for helping my elderly grandmother,” Carlow said Monday.
Marean
In a letter to Marean dated July 15, Carlow told Marean to “immediately cease all stalking behavior.”
“On June 21, 2022, you admitted that you have repeatedly and willfully followed me and photographed my private property without consent, and you further disclosed that this behavior had occurred at hours ranging from eleven o’clock in the evening to four o’clock in the morning for a period lasting approximately two months,” Carlow wrote.
Carlow said he sent a copy of his letter to the Buxton Police Department; Gov. Janet Mills; the Maine Harness Racing Commission, of which Marean is a member; Capitol Police in Augusta; and members of the SAD 6 board.
Buxton Police Chief Troy Cline confirmed he had received the letter.
The issue came to a head at a June 21 SAD 6 board meeting when Marean questioned Carlow about his legal residency. Both men were sworn in as board members at that meeting after their reelections June 14.
“Mr. Carlow, you are the elected person for the Buxton seat. Do you live in Buxton?” Marean said.
“I do,” Carlow responded.
After the meeting adjourned, Carlow said, he confronted Marean about the question. Marean told him he had photos, Carlow said, and quoted Marean as saying that Carlow couldn’t “B.S.” him.
Before that meeting, the school district had prepared for a challenge to seating Carlow by seeking advice from its attorney.
E. William Stockmeyer of Drummond Woodsum in Portland said in a letter to then-Superintendent Paul Penna on June 21 that “the Town Clerk has certified as to the residence of the individual.” He advised the school district to seat Carlow.
Challenger Vickie Shane lost to Carlow in the June election for a three-year, Buxton residency seat on the School Board. Before the election, she said, she got wind of a residency question regarding Carlow that she said originated from a tip out of Augusta.
Carlow is the Republican candidate in November for House District 137 that covers part of Buxton and part of Hollis. He’ll face Democratic challenger Robert Faucher of Buxton.
Shane said she drove once past Carlow’s grandmother’s house in Westbrook and saw his car parked in the driveway.
“It looked like the house was shut down for the night,” Shane said.
The dispute has impacted Carlow’s family, according to his father, Peter Boudreau. Speaking at a July 18 school board meeting, Boudreau said his son had been stalked by an SAD 6 board member, who he did not name. Because of his concern for his family and 12-year-old daughter, Carlow has purchased security cameras and lights for his home, he said.
Carlow said the situation has strained relations on the School Board.
“It’s very tense,” Carlow said Monday about the atmosphere in recent board meetings.
School Board Vice Chairperson Erika Creutz of Standish told the American Journal that the board is aware of the dispute between Carlow and Marean, “but (it) is not a matter for the board to be involved in.”
A Buxton member of the school board, Ellen DeCotiis, declined to comment.
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