Westbrook nonprofit dispute escalates after Bucket Brigade members ousted

 Retired Gorham Fire Chief Robert Lefebvre, left, and retired Westbrook Fire Department Capt. Clyde Chapman planned to restore an 1867 horse-drawn firefighting vehicle in 2023 in a collaboration between the Bucket Brigade and the Westbrook Historical Society. (Robert Lowell/Staff Writer) The dispute between the Westbrook Historical Society and the Westbrook Bucket Brigade —  two nonprofit organizations dedicated to preserving the city’s history — escalated during the society’s annual meeting June 25 after months of accusations and threats of legal action. Less than two weeks before the meeting, 29 members of the Bucket Brigade — who are also members of the historical society — received a letter from the society stating they were no longer “members in good standing” and could not vote at the upcoming meeting. The members said they have not violated the society’s rules and are being discriminated against because they are part of the Bucket Brigade. “It’s not the historical society any longer,” said Mike Sanphy, former president of the historical society and current member of the Bucket Brigade. “They’ve unraveled everything we put together.” THE DISPUTE The Westbrook Historical Society is a nonprofit founded in 1975, and the Bucket Brigade formed from a group of firefighters in 1968 preserving old firefighting equipment. The spat between the two nonprofits began when Mike Sanphy stepped down as the president of the historical society in 2024, Sanphy, who is a member of the Bucket Brigade, said. In 2022, the two groups formed a partnership and worked together in the community center. Advertisement Related [Elder abuse, theft, a ‘hostile takeover’: What’s fueling the dispute between 2 Westbrook historical societies?](https://www.pressherald.com/2026/03/19/two-westbrook-historical-groups-embroiled-in-dispute/) Deb Shangraw — who became acting president of the historical society once Sanphy stepped down — disputes the claims that the Bucket Brigade was ever in partnership with the historical society. The Bucket Brigade was not an autonomous organization, but rather a committee within the society, she said. Now, the two groups are no longer collaborating, and they’ve [threatened each other with legal action](https://www.pressherald.com/2026/03/19/two-westbrook-historical-groups-embroiled-in-dispute/). The Bucket Brigade has accused the historical society of launching a “hostile takeover” and stealing their old firefighting equipment and artifacts. The historical society claims the equipment is theirs because the Bucket Brigade used the society’s tax ID, address and nonprofit status to collect donations before it became its own nonprofit in 2025. The Bucket Brigade countered that it was allowed to partner with a nonprofit to raise funds, and it has been receiving donated artifacts for decades, even before the partnership. THE MEETING Rep. Sue Salisbury, D-Westbrook, has [advocated for the Bucket Brigade](https://www.pressherald.com/2026/04/23/westbrook-city-council-defunds-historical-society-amid-nonprofit-dispute/) for months as they tried to reclaim their historical artifacts and looked for a new place to go. Salisbury said she hopes the two organizations can cohabitate and work together again. Related [Westbrook City Council defunds historical society amid nonprofit dispute](https://www.pressherald.com/2026/04/23/westbrook-city-council-defunds-historical-society-amid-nonprofit-dispute/) “For a long time, the historical society and the Bucket Brigade have been stewards of the city’s history,” Salisbury said. “What’s happening now is breaking that down and ruining years of history and relationships.” Advertisement She left the society’s annual meeting shell-shocked and devastated, she said. “What I saw in there is blatant disregard for normative rules of a committee and obvious suppression of alternate views,” Salisbury said. According to the society’s bylaws, 15 members are required to form a quorum, but excluding the members of the Bucket Brigade who couldn’t vote, Salisbury counted only 12 members in the annual meeting, she said. A reporter who tried to attend the meeting was turned away by Shangraw, who said it was a closed meeting open only to members. A Westbrook police officer was present at the meeting. Philip Spiller Jr., who was previously a historical society board member before his [arrest](https://www.pressherald.com/2026/02/08/westbrook-civic-leader-jailed-again-following-domestic-violence-arrest/) on domestic violence charges, attended the meeting and voted. At the meeting, members voted on an amendment that would change the bylaws regarding membership. The bylaws previously stated, “Any person interested in the purpose of the Society who applies for membership and who tenders necessary dues shall thereby become an Active Member.” That sentence was crossed out. Advertisement The amendment added multiple sections to the bylaws, including one that states, “Members shall conduct themselves in a manner consistent with the Society’s mission and shall not engage in conduct that is disruptive, defamatory, harassing, intimidating, or that interferes with governance, operations, staff, volunteers or contractual relationships.” Another section gives the board the ability to deny or terminate membership for “conduct detrimental to the society, defamation or slander of the society, and acting in bad faith or with intent to undermine the society,” among other reasons. The meeting came a few weeks after the historical society’s board of directors revised the standing rules that outline the standards and expectations for members. Under the new rules, members should “refrain from materially false, defamatory, intentionally misleading, disruptive, or bad-faith conduct or statements that harm the Society’s governance…” and “understand that membership, volunteer service, committee participation, or fundraising activities conducted on behalf of the Society do not create any ownership interest in Society property, collections, records, facilities, intellectual property, goodwill, or charitable assets,” according to a copy of the rules obtained by the Press Herald. Shangraw, the president of the historical society, did not respond to requests for comment after the meeting. Copy the Story Link Tagged: [firefighters](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/firefighters/), [historic preservation](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/historic-preservation/), [westbrook historical society](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/westbrook-historical-society/) [](https://www.pressherald.com/author/salome-clotreaux) [Salomé CloteauxStaff Writer](https://www.pressherald.com/author/salome-clotreaux) Salomé Cloteaux is a community reporter covering Scarborough and Westbrook. She was born in France but lived in Indiana for most of her life before moving to Portland in November 2025. Salomé has a degree. [More by Salomé Cloteaux](https://www.pressherald.com/author/salome-clotreaux)