‘Thrilled’ Neighbors Get an Apology for Disruptions : Bush Returns to Savor Once-Quiet Town

The rotor blades cracked through the afternoon stillness and the throbbing helicopter engine overcame the cry of the gulls Wednesday as George Bush swooped down to savor that sublime moment when a man comes home . . . as the triumphant President-elect.

“Today we zoomed in in a great big helicopter,” Bush said, brimming with pride and nostalgia. “And I was wondering what my old man would say if he could see his little boy now.”

During the campaign, Bush claimed many places as his home. But for Thanksgiving, he returned here where his roots grow deepest, where he is most at peace--the 85-year-old family compound on the rocky, wind-raked seacoast of Maine.

With wife, Barbara, and a minimal troupe of aides, Bush was in quest of a little solitude--for just a little is about all he likes--to consider the huge task of governance awaiting him in just two months.

Meets With Residents

But before gaining respite out on Walter’s Point, Bush came into town to express his concern for the tranquility of the 4,000 residents of this wealthy resort community south of Portland. They worried that his success and dreams would spoil theirs, and that the shock of his giant footsteps would disrupt the quiet life on the small streets here.

So at a rally where a third of the township showed up, Bush promised the lobster fishermen that they could stay and set traps in Walker Bay next to the Bush estate. And never mind what other problems are facing America’s new leader, he promised that if he ran over and cut any of their trap lines next summer when he brought out his 28-foot speedboat, he would still pay for damages. And yes, he joked, he would continue to blame the Secret Service chase boat for doing it.

“I want Kennebunkport to retain its magic,” he said.

Bush promised to go slow as the law requires when driving his boat in the river that flows through town. He said he still wants to shop in the bookstore and walk around and “pop in” on friends. The local library will still get his cast-off books. And even as he looked out across the city square park to roadblocks and police barricades, past an occupying army of reporters and a scattering of protesters, Bush said he would try to keep from disrupting the life here or the traffic on the narrow streets.

Asks for New Message

“And if we do,” he continued, “let me ask you as a neighbor to signify your displeasure in some other way than those very active hand gestures I spot from time to time as we go through town.”

Kennebunkport laughed along with its old friend.

“He is so well loved in this community; we’re thrilled,” said Sally Bruner, wife of the pastor at St. Ann’s Episcopal Church where Bush’s family has attended services for more than a half-century.

Around town, residents noted that Kennebunkport is already accustomed to huge mobs of tourists in the summer, when the population can swell to 35,000. Some asked, how much worse could it get?

“I just don’t see how it can get any busier,” said contractor and Fire Chief Dan Philbrick. “The streets can’t hold any more cars. The sidewalks can’t hold any more people.”

Philbrick, like many others here, does not view Bush as some remote big shot. To Philbrick the contractor, Bush is a client who calls for home repairs, like the time in 1978 when a storm did extensive damage to the weathered-wood main house at the Bush compound. The facilities also include a tennis court, private dock, garden for Mrs. Bush and a 270-degree ocean view.

“They are common people,” said Philbrick in a typical remark. Never mind the Bush’s old-money wealth or the fact, as Philbrick said, that “some of our guys have caddied for him” at the local golf course. “He’s approachable. You can walk right up and talk to him.”

That has strong appeal to Bush’s neighbor, John Leggett. “I never thought I’d be able to say good morning to the President.”

‘Hotbed of Activity’

On the other hand, Leggett said the privilege comes at a price. “I didn’t retire to Maine thinking it would be some hotbed of activity like this.”

State Rep. Stedman Seavey said that Kennebunkport will end up coping gladly with its new-found fame. “If he is willing to work to solve the problems of world peace, we certainly are willing to work to resolve the problems of traffic on Ocean Avenue,” Seavey said.

Bush reminded the townspeople how deeply he is attached to Kennebunkport. His mother was born here, his grandfather built the main home in 1902. For 63 of his 64 years, he has come here to play and relax. The one year Bush did not make it home was 1944, when he was in the Pacific as a World War II naval aviator.

He recalled bowling at the long-gone Duck Pins lanes, he looked into the crowd and pointed out friends by name, and he remembered youthful antics.

“A lot of our roots are here. Part of what I really am is here,” he said. “I want to come here often--that’s not a threat.”

This Thanksgiving, Bush planned a quiet dinner with Barbara and two of their long-time aides and friends. Most of their children and grandchildren were not expected.

Thick Stacks to Read

Washington transition team officials said that Bush had been given thick stacks of background materials on pending Cabinet vacancies and policy decisions that require his urgent attention upon his return at the end of the weekend.

The rest of his vacation itinerary was left up to him.