The Ellsworth City Council changed its position Monday night and decided to give surplus funds from a 2023 foreclosure sale of a home to its previous owner.

The 6-0 vote comes after weeks of contentious lobbying by Councilor Steve O’Halloran to give surplus funds, estimated to be around $118,000, to Kerry Karst, a Brewer resident who had inherited the Fifth Street property from his parents.

As part of his campaign O’Halloran this month displayed first a large banner on a shipping container and then a semi-trailer downtown with messages that said, “SHAME ON ELLSWORTH!! RETURN THE KARST FAMILY EQUITY!!”

Other councilors had expressed concern about whether the city might face legal liability for giving the proceeds from the auction of the home, which are considered public funds, to a

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