Levant, Maine
New England town in Penobscot County
About Levant
Levant is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,970 at the 2020 census.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How Levant is governed
Form of government not yet listed.
0 of 14 positions listed. Gray dashed boxes are placeholders waiting for a name.
Residents of Levant
Registered voters elect the officials below.
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Mayor
Executive
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The city's chief elected official. Presides over the executive branch, proposes the budget and represents the city.
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City Manager / Administrator
Executive
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The professional administrator who runs day-to-day operations (in some cities appointed by the council instead of the mayor).
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Police Chief
Administration & departments
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Leads the police department.
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Fire Chief
Administration & departments
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Leads the fire and emergency services department.
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Public Works Director
Administration & departments
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Streets, water, sewer, and city buildings.
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Finance Director
Administration & departments
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The budget, taxes, and city accounts.
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Planning & Zoning Director
Administration & departments
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Land use, zoning, building permits.
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Parks & Recreation Director
Administration & departments
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Parks, programs, and public facilities.
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City Council
Legislative
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The elected body that passes ordinances, sets the tax rate and approves the budget.
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City Clerk
Administration & departments
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Keeps the official records, runs meeting agendas and, often, local elections.
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City Attorney
Administration & departments
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The city's lawyer; advises officials and prosecutes ordinance violations.
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Boards & Commissions
Legislative
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Citizen advisory bodies, such as planning, zoning appeals and library boards.
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Municipal Court
Judicial
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Hears traffic, ordinance and other minor cases.
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Municipal Judge
Judicial
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Presides over the municipal court.
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- Website
- townoflevant.net
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Population over time
From 2,851 in 2010 to 2,940 in 2020 (+3.1%).
Show the numbers
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 2,940 |
| 2010 | 2,851 |
History
Originally called Kenduskeag Plantation, the town was founded in 1802 by Major Moses Hodsden who built three houses, a sawmill, a grist-mill, a store, and a blacksmith shop in what is now the village of Kenduskeag. At the time, these were likely the only framed buildings between Bangor and the Kennebec River. In 1813 the plantation became a town, and was given the name Levant, which is that part of the Middle East which borders the Mediterranean.
In 1852, the village of Kenduskeag broke away from the rest of Levant and took part of the neighboring town of Glenburn to form the present town of Kenduskeag. Prior to the break the town had 1,841 inhabitants.
In early 1824, Levant Congregational minister John Bovee Dods claimed that he was visited by a spirit, and his house subsequently became the site of poltergeist activity. Perhaps a hundred curious people were said to have visited and witnessed these events. Dods became a Universalist in 1826, and moved to nearby Union, though he continued to preach in Levant. He later moved to Massachusetts and became an early psychologist, publishing The Philosophy of Electrical Psychology in 1850, and lecturing widely. In 1856 he converted to spiritualism, and became a leading figure in that religion in New York City.
One of the last tarring and feathering episodes in Maine took place in Levant in 1899, the victim being an evangelical minister named George W. Higgins of the Disciples of the Holy Ghost, whose headquarters was the Shiloh Temple in Durham, Maine, and whose spiritual leader was Frank Sandford. Higgins had made about 15 converts in Levant, and encouraged them to turn over all their property to Sandford and go to live in the Durham temple. After one member had committed suicide and Higgins had told another to whip a small child because he was possessed by a demon, two selectmen ordered him to leave town. When he refused, a mob seized him, covered him with hot tar and feathers, and rode him on a rail a number of miles to the town line, some following behind in carriages. An area in town where many "Higginsites" lived was known as "Higginsville" as late as the 1930s.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.