BUCKFIELD — Emotions ran high over a legal dispute regarding the lease and ownership of a Turner Street property at the Board of Selectmen meeting on Tuesday.

The property at 337 Turner St., which housed Captain Bly’s Tavern for the past few years, has been leased by business owner Mark McAlister. Lee Johnson purchased the property in June from DSB LLC and wants to open the Buck-It Grill & Pub, but McAlister has a lease at the property dated December 2015, which runs through December 2018.

At their Dec. 6 meeting, selectmen opted to table Johnson’s special amusement permit and liquor license applications until the matter is settled in court, as McAlister’s lawyer, Jeff Wilson, had served Johnson with a $500,000 lawsuit that evening.

Town Manager Cindy Dunn told selectmen Tuesday she was contacted by former property owner Steve Bly after their previous meeting, who told her the lease with McAlister was fraudulent.

Dunn contacted the town attorney at Chairman Warren Wright’s request.

Bly could not be reached for comment.

Wright referenced a letter from town attorney John Conway at Tuesday’s meeting.

“We are well within our rights to withhold, approve or deny the applications until we were well satisfied we had sufficient information to move forward,” Wright said. “We were advised to not jump in the middle of this dispute so it does not backfire on us.”

“As soon we found out the new information, somebody should have been telling me, don’t you think?” Johnson said.

“My problem is, your lawyer says you don’t want to jump in the middle of this, but you’ve called (McAlister) six times,” Johnson said to Dunn.

Dunn said at the previous meeting that when Johnson purchased the property, it was assumed he had bought the land, building and business. On Tuesday, she said after she learned of McAlister’s lease, she called and texted him to get more information for selectmen.

“That’s the only contact I had with him,” she said. “The purpose of that was to provide the selectmen all the information you need to make a sound decision.”

Johnson repeatedly said Dunn should not have contacted McAlister so many times and she explained her reason for doing so.

As multiple voices rose in the room, Dunn called point of order.

After more discussion, Johnson said he would have to file for bankruptcy if the issue keeps getting pushed back and walked out of the meeting.

Dunn informed selectmen they did not have to take any further action on the matter since they already tabled it at their last meeting.

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