Randy Seaver — journalist and former PR pro — blogs about politics, media and his struggles with mental illness.
Author: Randy Seaver
Randy Seaver is a veteran journalist who has been covering news and politics in the city of Biddeford, Maine for nearly three decades. He may be contacted at randy@randyseaver.com
Former mayor, state representative and city councilor Joanne Twomey announced Sunday that she would seek a return to the Maine House of Representatives.
At the Biddeford Democratic caucus, Twomey told a sparse group of fellow Democrats that Dist. 135 needs a “real” Democrat to stand up to Republicans in Augusta.
Twomey also said that she encouraged Rep. Paulette Beaudoin to seek the Dist. 135 seat four years ago, but decided that Beaudoin was either unwilling or unable to stand up to Republicans and should be replaced.
Joanne Twomey: A “real” Democrat?
Funny thing is: Twomey was not worried about Beaudoin’s performance until she lost her re-election bid for the mayor’s seat. Now Twomey needs a job. Now she is ready to fight Republicans and Democrats and anyone else who gets between her and her need for health insurance at taxpayer expense.
A video from the Biddeford-Saco Courier:
Joanne likes to talk about her “no-compromise/principled” position.
But does that hold water?
1,) The woman who once bemoaned the idea of a casino in Biddeford — testifying before the Biddeford City Council in 2003 by saying — “In my Christmas village, there is no casino,” suddenly flipped when she got herself into a budget pinch, and she quickly became a cheerleader for a proposed casino. Principled? Really?
2.) The woman who built her political career on the backs of criticizing the owners of the MERC facility was giving them hugs in front of news cameras just two weeks before the 2009 mayoral election.
Just a few weeks later, after winning re-election as mayor, Twomey once again reversed her position. Principled? Really?
3.) On Sunday, during Biddeford’s Democratic caucus, Twomey said she encouraged State Rep. Paulette Beaudoin to run for the legislative seat that Twomey held until term limits forced her out in 2006. Now, Twomey says the people of District 135 need a “real” Democrat.
For such a principled person who professes to believe in the people, Twomey does not hesitate to play political hardball, but her victim routine is wearing thin.
It’s probably why Biddeford voters threw her out of office by an overwhelming margin in November. You can only fool people for so long.
But there’s also another reason Twomey lost by a 62-38 margin: She did very little campaigning.
Maybe she was overly confident. Maybe she was tired. Maybe she thought the city’s strong support for a proposed racino would ensure her easy re-election.
Twomey is a political quaqmire. On the one hand, she is a savvy politician. On the other, she is ruled by her emotions.
But this time, it looks like she is in this campaign to win. She’s accepting help from Ryan Fecteau, an eager beaver youngster with a solid grasp of 21st Century campaign techniques.
Twomey will likely do well in the Democratic primary against Beaudoin, a post-70-year-old woman who isn’t much of a campaigner and has never been challenged by her own party.
Former Biddeford City Councilor Perry Aberle, a man who describes himself as a “friend of Joanne,” is considering running as a Republican in District 135. If Twomey wins the Democratic Primary on June 12, Aberle will have his work cut out for him.
As I predicted on November 8, 2011, Joanne Twomey is far from done in Biddeford politics.
Biddeford Mayor Alan Casavant is expected March 6 to announce his nomination for the Ward Seven city council seat that was vacated last week by Councilor David Flood’s resignation.
Newly elected mayor Alan Casavant (right) celebrates with his campaign manager on Election night
Because of a serious flaw in the city’s charter, the voters do not get a say, even though Flood served fewer than 90 days of his term. That needs to be fixed.
I live in Ward Seven, and have spent the better part of the day talking with city councilors and the mayor about the candidate whom I think should replace Flood.
According to the city clerk’s office, 893 voters in Ward Seven cast ballots in the November 2011 election. Of those 893 voters, Flood received 390 votes (roughly 40 percent of the votes cast).
Bill Sexton finished second in the three-way race, earning 270 votes. Sixty six voters left their ballot blank when it came time to choose a Ward Seven councilor; there were four write-ins and Patricia Whitehurst received 160 votes.
For disclosure, I voted for Flood.
When Casavant ran for mayor, he campaigned on a promise to be “positive and professional.” He campaigned on the idea of restoring civility; of rejecting political cronyism; of engaging the entire community, not just those who agreed with him.”
Those were the reasons why I and so many others worked so hard to help get him elected.
We wanted a change.
But did we get change?
Word on the street is that Casavant is planning to nominate former city councilor Mike Ready.
I like Mike Ready. Mike served this city well, both as a city councilor and long-time member of the School Committee. Mike is principled, smart and hardworking.
In short, Mike Ready is a outsanding nominee, but he’s not the right nominee.
If Mike Ready had run for the seat last year, it’s quite possible that I would have supported him over David Flood.
But Mike did not campaign. He did not get signatures to be on the ballot. He did not knock on doors. He did not put up campaign signs or participate in debates.
Bill Sexton did. Bill Sexton wanted the job then, and he wants the job now.
Sexton supported a proposed racino. Casavant may also see Sexton as someone who may have supported Twomey for re-election during the mayoral campaign.
But those items never came up during a break at today’s Democratic Caucus, when Casavant told me that the council has too many inexperienced members. “We’ve got a tough budget ahead of us,” he explained. “We have a lot of complex issues facing us during the next few months. I need people who can hit the ground running, people with experience.”
That rationale may sound good on paper, but it doesn’t pass the straight-face test.
Maine Senate candidate, former city councilor and current school committee member Jim Emerson served as treasurer on Casavan’t campaign team.
Emerson launched his political career with zero experience after being nominated by Mayor Wallace Nutting to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of Phil Dumont in 2006.
Emerson served with distinction and honor. The city did not fall apart. Emerson later campaigned for and won the seat on his own merits.
Mayor Donna Dion appointed Roger Hurtubise to replace Roch Angers on the city council in 2003. Hurtubise figured things out pretty quickly.
It is clearly Casavant’s prerogative to nominate anyone he chooses. More importantly, it’s the council’s prerogative whether to accept or reject that nomination.
Casavant chose last year to run his campaign without a slate of like-minded city councilors. I respected and admired that decision, even though it seems politically naive.
But there’s no reason why Casavant should attempt to stack the council deck after the fact.
The right thing for Casavant; more importantly the right thing for the city, is to try to respect the will and intent of the voters.
By appointing Sexton, Casavant would be sending a strong signal that his campaign themes were at least a bit more than slogans.
If you can’t find Biddeford Mayor Alan Casavant on Facebook, maybe you should have donated more to his campaign.
Actually, Casavant “took down” his “Biddeford Mayor Alan Casavant” page after learning that it violated city policy.
“After I learned that, I wanted to set a good example,” Casavant said. “So I immediately took it down.”
According to Casavant, the city is expected to review its computer policy in the next few days. The standing policy prohibits city officials and city employees from having websites or Facebook pages to discuss, promote or opine about city business.”
Casavant and other city officials and employees may, however, have their own personal page but it cannot be construed as an “official” page either by reference or inference.
For the seven people in the United States who are not friends with Alan Casavant on his personal Facebook, maybe you should send a friend request instead of making assumptions that you were banned.
Well . . . apparently, I was a bit unclear last week, when I wrote about rumors regarding who Mayor Alan Casavant might appoint to a vacant city council seat.
Although I put to bed the notion that Casavant would nominate me ( or that I would accept such an appointment), some people have speculated that my wife, Laura, would be appointed.
Laura Seaver
I seriously doubt that Casavant ever considered Laura as an appointment, but just in case: I’ve got news for you, the bearded mayor and for anyone else looking to get freaky with my woman: My wife swapping days are over!
In her most recent column, titled Processes, procedures and proposed politicians, Molly Lovell Keely, editor of the Biddeford-Saco-OOB Courier, dazzles us with her penchant for alliteration.
Keely also speculates that Laura Seaver, my Laura Seaver!, may be on some kind of short list of possible nominees for the council seat.
For more than four years, Laura served on the Biddeford School Committee.
During those four years, our family suffered immense pain.
The second and fourth Tuesdays of every month became a living hell for me and the boys. There was no one here to cook our dinner, to rub our feet, to read us our bed time stories.
That’s it! Enough is enough! I’m done!
I’ve put in almost 10 years of training Laura, instructing her about how to be a good wife, and I’m not going to share my hard work and resources with Casavant or any other elected official in Biddeford.
For the record, Laura is making progress with her good wife skills, and now sorts whites and colors for the laundry. She picks up my dry-cleaning when instructed. Her cooking skills are slowly improving, but her back-rub skills need work and lots more practice.
Hint: If you want a good wife, find a woman before she learns to read. It’s much easier to train them. Otherwise, they start getting all sorts of ideas about being independent and having their own opinions.
So that’s it. I hope this is clear enough. And I will speak to Brian Keely, reminding him that his wife-training regimen needs work.
Editor’s Note:Before all you women out there get your panties in a bunch, this is satire. It’s a short word and should be easy enough for you to comprehend. If you still have doubts, check the video below. Laura is the best thing to ever happen to me, and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I do not deserve her.
Typically, when newspapers go to war they are actually engaging in fierce competition.
That competition benefits both advertisers and readers.
In 2001, folks in the Biddeford-Saco area likely had no idea how lucky they were.
For a community with a population of less than 40,000, the region was being served by two daily newspapers and two weekly publications.
The Portland Press Herald had a full complement of reporters, photographers and editors stationed at their bureau on Main Street.
The Journal Tribune was still winning Maine Press Association awards and was the breeding ground for many of Maine’s best and most well-known reporters and editors, including Jack Beaudoin, Dennis Bailey, Lee Burnett, Bob Saunders, Gail Lemley and Mo Mehlsak.
David Flood, meanwhile, was busy building a small empire of weekly publications that stretched across York and Cumberland counties. The Biddeford-Saco-OOB Courier was the company’s flagship publication.
A short while later, Current Publishing was formed and began distributing the Sun Chronicle, a weekly newspaper based in Saco.
Reporters, such as Kelley Bouchard of the Press Herald; and Josh Williamson of the Journal Tribune, were scrapping for stories with yours truly.
Good times, baby! Real good times…for the journalists, and especially for the communities they were covering.
Flood was one of the original downtown cheerleaders. He immersed himself in the community. He was fiercely competitive. Still is.
I served as editor for all of Flood’s weekly publications, and published All Along the Watchtower in the Courier. I was fiercely competitive. Still am.
But the shifting economic landscape dealt a serious blow to the region’s media outlets.
The advent of internet journalism was just kicking into high gear. Remember, in 2001 Facebook meant your got your nose crushed in a big encyclopedia.
Twitter was something that city councilors did whenever former mayor Jim Grattelo walked into a room; and a “blog” was a stain comprised of 1/3 snot, 1/3 ketchup and 1/3 ink on your new shirt.
Today, those newspapers are barely more than shadows of their former selves.
The Journal Tribune was once again sold, this time to a Pennsylvania-based media conglomerate. The staff changed dramatically. Most of the institutional knowledge was sent packing in efforts to trim the bottom line.
Reporters were expected to do more with less, a trend that was happening all over the country and shows no signs of slowing.
Meanwhile, the Portland Press Herald was having its own financial problems. The paper was later sold (and more recently sold again). The Biddeford bureau was closed. Reporters from the state’s largest daily no longer attended council meetings in City Hall.
I left the Courier in 2005. Eric Wicklund, a veteran reporter at the Journal Tribune, was hired to replace me. That was the first sign that things were getting bad. A daily reporter was taking a job at a weekly.
Wicklund lasted a few months. Several editors came and went at the Courier.
In 2007, Flood sold his weekly newspapers to the same company that purchased the Journal Tribune and the Brunswick Times Record. He then started a political career.
David Flood
The Courier continued to shrink. Its new owners are not involved in the community. Reporters cover City Hall meetings from their homes, watching the meetings on television.
The Journal Tribune is running stories from Biddeford City Council meetings as much as six days later on their front-page. Why hurry? Who’s gonna scoop them?
Flash forward five years, and Flood is getting back into the game, stirring controversy by stepping down from the city council to restart his newspaper career.
On Thursday, the American Journal, one of the newspapers owned by Current Publishing, reported that Flood was tapped to be the publisher of its York County sister newspapers.
For the record, back in the old days (before Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook) I worked at the American Journal with Kate Irish Collins, who is now a senior reporter at the Chronicle and about to become one of Flood’s newest employees) Yes, it is a small, incestuous pool . . . this local journalism thing.
Flood, who also still owns the building that houses the Courier and its sister publications, told the Courier’s owners last week they would need to find a new home.
Apparently, Flood plans to move his newest publications into the building that he owns across the street from City Hall: the place where he built the Courier into a strong weekly paper will now be the place where he works to diminish the Courier.
This news did not go over well with the Courier’s employees, many of whom are former Journal Tribune employees.
It turns out that the Courier staff will soon be housed in the Journal Tribune’s Alfred Street headquarters, where they will ostensibly be one happy family, competing against a common enemy: David Flood.
Political implications
Meanwhile, Flood’s sudden resignation from the City Council has sparked other controversy, most notably from the chair of the Downtown Development Commission (DDC), Brian Keely.
Flood won his seat in November and now, less than 90 days later, will be leaving, forcing Mayor Alan Casavant to appoint a new councilor.
Flood is expected to formally announce his resignation at Tuesday’s city council meeting, but Keely is publicly questioning Flood’s motives.
Now here’s where it gets tricky:
Keely’s wife, Molly Lovell Keely, is the editor of the Courier, one of those people who will soon be looking for boxes, packing tape and a U-Haul.
Keely’s father, Vincent, ran and lost a bid for one of the city council’s at-large spots in November.
Another member of the DDC is Grady Sexton. Grady’s son, Bill Sexton, ran and lost against Flood for the Ward 7 Council seat, finishing second in a three-way race that included Patricia Whitehurst.
On the DDC’s Facebook page, Keely, chair of the DDC, wrote: “… I don’t have any problem with Flood doing what he loves. I do have a big issue with the fact he ran for city office, knowing full well, he would take this new job and would have to resign as councilor. I believe he made fools of the people who supported him…”
Keely also compares Flood to Kim Khardashian, and then opines that Flood is simply trying to prop his ego after losing a 2009 mayoral bid to Joanne Twomey.
I could go into all the political maneuverings, pointing out that those who supported the idea of a racino and a third-term for Twomey are politically at odds with Mayor Alan Casavant and David Flood.
I could opine that Casavant ought to appoint someone from that political camp to fill Flood’s vacancy…. say Bill Sexton or someone else who lives in Ward Seven….but I want to watch a bit more….
They say that all politics are local; and I say local politics are some of the best politics.
Throw in a newspaper war, and well, … it just doesn’t get much better for a guy who blogs about local politics and media.
Somebody start the popcorn. It’s going to be a hell of a show….
And maybe, just maybe, the newspaper business will come back to life….it’s just too bad it took a war.
You know, . . .the humble Tom Clancy character who routinely saved the world from a cadre of evil forces while also writing a thesis about the importance of granola in the post-Soviet socio-economic structure.
Ryan Gavin
But what about the other guys named Ryan? The ones who were born in 1992 and grew up in Biddeford?
One of them made a short-lived bid to be Biddeford’s mayor, and the other one is wreaking havoc with the city charter.
Both Ryan Gavin and Ryan Fecteau are all of 20 years old, and, make no mistake: they are politically ambitious.
Nearly a year ago, Ryan Gavin, fresh off the heels of learning how to shave and graduating from high school, decided he was the most qualified person to become Biddeford’s next mayor.
After all, Gavin had all sorts of experience built up after serving two terms as an un-elected student representative on the Biddeford School Committee and a valid driver’s license.
Sadly, he was more qualified than many others who tried to become the city’s mayor. Karl Reed’s 2009 campaign comes to mind.
Ryan Gavin put on his best Sunday suit and a pair of sunglasses to make his public announcement from the back stairs of City Hall on a weekend afternoon.
Sadly, the media actually covered this event that included 11 people listening to a kid who looked an awful lot like John Belushi’s character from the Blues Brothers.
Jake was on a mission from God. Ryan was on a mission to save Biddeford from the clutches of Darth Vader, more commonly known ’round here as former mayor Joanne Twomey.
Gavin was smart enough to remove his sunglasses halfway through his press conference.
He was also smart enough to quickly figure out he had a snowball’s chance in hell of ever getting elected in a city brimming with old people who vote like clock-work.
Ryan Gavin eventually became an important part of Alan Casavant’s mayoral campaign team.
Let’s pause for just a moment and give out a shout-out to Ryan Gavin’s parents.
If I could be half the parent that Ryan’s parents were, I would be thrilled and could die feeling as if I accomplished something decent in my lifetime.
Ryan was an exceptional student at BHS. He is, today, an exceptional student at UMO.
He is polite, smart, articulate and — unlike many of his peers — he not only cares about what is going on in the world around him, he’s also willing to step up and fight for it.
Ryan Fecteau
All of which brings us to our next point: Ryan Fecteau, a 2010 graduate of Biddeford High School who also served as a student representative on the School Committee.
In November, Fecteau began what will probably be a long and notable political career by actually winning an election.
Fecteau was one of five people elected to serve as a commissioner on the city’s charter review commission, a previously described group of dorks who want to sit around and debate whether the city’s bylaws should include more semicolons.
There were seven slots available and only five candidates on the ballot, so it’s not like Fecteau proved himself to be a tactical genius.
But you still have to respect a kid who is willing to tinker with the city’s charter when most young men his age are doing more important things like getting laid or drinking beer.
But not everyone in Biddeford is happy about Ryan Fecteau’s grand plans for Biddeford.
In fact, during last weekend’s downtown winter festival, I heard some people complain that Fecteau is actually living in Washington DC and is unable to attend the charter meetings in person. I wish I had figured out how to do that.
His critics also said he was trying to ram through “a lot of stupid ideas.”
So, I picked up the phone and called him, half-expecting to get his receptionist who would politely tell me that Congressman Fecteau was in a meeting with the Secretary of Commerce but appreciates my concerns and will have a form letter sent to me.
Actually, Fecteau is a sophomore at Catholic University of America, and it should come as no surprise that he is studying political science.
Fecteau said he saw an opportunity to get more involved in Biddeford politics, and he seized it.
“It’s a rare opportunity, even though we had a charter commission five years ago, who knows when I would have another chance to do this work,” he said.
When asked his opinion about the city’s police and fire commissions (two of the charter’s more controversial items), Fecteau said he would like to see the two combined, if not eliminated.
So far, so good. The city of Biddeford has more commissions and committees than the state of New York.
Fecteau also says he will only miss one more of the commission’s seven monthly meetings.
“The telephone is not a new invention,” he patiently explained to this over-40 geezer.
Asked to explain one of his recent Facebook posts in which he described Joanne Twomey as “a real Democrat” when compared to State Rep. Paulette Beaudoin, also a Democrat who may be challenged for her seat by Twomey in the June 12 primary, Fecteau chose his words carefully.
“I don’t agree with Joanne on everything,” he said. “Paulette is my neighbor, and we’ve had many, many conversations. The Democratic Party has a plank for a reason. I just think Joanne would be a better advocate for many of the party’s core issues.”
Again, so far…so good, but then we started talking about one of his new ideas.
Fecteau would like to see voting day moved to Saturdays instead of Tuesdays. He thinks such a move will increase voter turnout, completely forgetting that such a move would require Biddeford voters to go to the polls twice in one week: once for state and national elections, and then again for local elections.
“Yeah, I guess that’s an idea that needs more work,” he conceded.
I also told him Saturday voting would infringe upon the voting rights of normal college sophomores who spend the bulk of their weekends drinking beer and getting laid.
But for all you old farts who think these young punks ought to learn how to tie their shoes before running around and changing our government, you ought to take another sip of your Geritol and consider this:
There was a young punk from Bangor who got elected to his city council at the age of 23 before becoming one of the youngest state senators in the Maine Legislature. That little twirp named Johnny went on to serve in the U.S. Congress before becoming Maine’s 73rd governor.
On the other side of the political aisle, another young punk from Bangor became the youngest person to ever get elected to the Maine Legislature. Tarren Bragdon, former CEO of the Maine Heritage Policy Center, has had a big impact on Maine politics and public policy.
And no one should forget the impacts of two of our nation’s youngest presidents, Republican Teddy Roosevelt (42) and Democrat John F. Kennedy (43). Of course, Roosevelt was not elected at 42 because he was sworn-in after President McKinley was assassinated, but still . . . the U.S. Constitution says you can be president when you’re 35; a senator once you hit 30 or a member of the House at age 25.
Congressman Fecteau?… it’s not as implausible as you may think.
It is Sunday morning, and I still cannot shake the groaning internal dialogue and the shivers that seized my spine less than 48 hours ago.
Maybe it was the photos: those black and white testaments to days of old, when men were men and felt invincible despite all evidence to the contrary.
Maybe it was the fruit punch or the company I was keeping on Friday night.
But whatever the reason, and regardless of the catalyst that triggered it, the ghosts were there and in full-force.
My mind drifted as I walked down Main Street in Biddeford under a cover of darkness sliced by a full-winter moon.
And it did not take long for the taunting to begin.
At first, it was just a collection of whispers; hard to distinguish above the din of passing cars and the music throbbing from an outdoor speaker at the Wonderbar Restaurant.
I tried to ignore the ghosts and their playful taunts, focusing my eyes on the young couple having dinner at a window table in Bebe’s Burritos, nodding to the young men who passed me on their way to the Oak and Axe.
But with each step along the sidewalk, the whispering became more defined and harder to ignore.
I kept my head down low, and took a long drag from my cigarette. I was on my way to meet Laura for dinner. I had neither the time nor the inclination to engage in this foolishness.
But the ghosts would not let go.
“It is a good night,” I heard one of them say. “Our city is back, there is life here.”
“Yas, baby,” another ghost responded between sips of Canadian Club whiskey from his hip flask. “We will not be forgotten or ignored by these punks.”
I pulled up my collar and steadied my course toward my waiting wife and the Chinese restaurant.
I could hear the sound of brawls from the Water Street tenement buildings, where tired mill workers were drinking warm Schmidt beers on a cold February night.
In a forgotten, smoke-filled, back room — in a building that no longer stands — Renald and Gilbert were arguing about Dempsey and playing their card game.
The stench of coal from the gasification plant was stifling. The second shift textile workers were counting the hours, and a line was gathering outside the Lightning Club, where young bucks combed their hair full of grease, and the school girls from St. Andre’s giggled with delight.
Further down the street, Sal Mineo’s name was illuminated on a marquee. The short-order cook from the Puritan — taking a quick cigarette break in an Alfred Street alleyway — nodded at me, before fading into the bricks of today’s reality.
I paused there for a moment — at the intersection of Alfred and Main Street, maybe a quarter-mile from the banks of the Saco River — feeling strangely content, despite my disquieting thoughts.
The ghosts — as many as 12 of them — kept walking, laughing as they continued down the street.
Only a few minutes prior I made an observation to others who also attended the opening of “The Way We Were” photo exhibit at the upper end of Main Street.
“When our economy worsens, our communities seem to become stronger,” I hypothesized. “Just like when the immigrants first came here in search of prosperity in the land of the free and the brave, we celebrate with one another and share common resources when not distracted by the lustre of individual gains.
“We know that we are okay, because we celebrate and commiserate with our neighbors, our friends and our peers.
“We are stronger, when we are together. We are better.”
Now, standing in the foyer of that Chinese restaurant, I could feel the warmth of the city streets.
And I could not help but think of my old friend Bob Dodge, a man I miss almost every day. A man who loved this city, the way a groom loves his bride on their wedding day.
It’s been three years since I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Bob’s infectious smile.
But I knew that Bob Dodge would be smiling tonight on the eve of La Fete d’ Hiver.
This kid who grew up in a Quimby Street triple-decker, left an unmistakable mark on his beloved hometown.
Who could be better to lead this community’s economic and community development efforts than a local boy inspired by the Kennedy brothers and motivated by sheer passion and will?
I looked down the street, watching those laughing, joyful ghosts as they faded over the diminishing hill just beyond my view. “Hey, Bob,” I whispered . . . wondering if he was there.
Maybe it was my imagination. Maybe it was wishful thinking.
But I swear, he paused and turned back from his group, waving to me in the darkness.
“It’s okay, Randy” he shouted back. “Go have dinner, relax. Me and the boys will be back.”
And with that . . . the ghosts disappeared, fading into the mid-February darkness, and I was left only with the lingering words of French poet Arthur Rimbaud:
“Qu’il vienne, qu’l vienne! Les temps dont s’eprenne.”
Given the news of a recent resignation by a city councilor, there is one glaring item that members of the Biddeford Charter Review Commission should consider sending to the city’s voters for approval.
As it stands now, the mayor has the authority to nominate anyone to fill a vacated city council seat, regardless of when the vacancy occurs.
Although special elections can be costly, the curent charter gives too much power to the mayor, setting the stage for stacking the deck. Unless there is less than six months remaining in a term, the council should be required to call for a special election.
Unfortunately, Councilor David Flood’s sudden resignation puts Mayor Alan Casavant in an awkward position.
The mayor now has to nominate someone from Ward Seven to fill that seat. That nomination must then be confirmed by the city council. Thus, if the mayor chooses someone who is perceived to be on his side he runs the risk of a protracted debate and council objection.
On the other hand, if the mayor chooses someone who would not support his position, then the mayor’s influence with the council will be further weakened.
Thus, Casavant is screwed no matter which way he goes in the next 30 days.
Casavant ought to consider at least one of two approaches to solving this potential conflict.
Choice One: Nominate the individual who got the second most votes in the Ward Seven race in November, Bill Sexton. Under this method, Casavant would be signaling that he is at least attemting to follow the best intentions of the voters.
Choice Two: Ask the Council President and other councilors to offer suggested names for a replacement candidate. This method would go a long way toward ensuring a smooth confirmation and allow the mayor to bypass controversy and potential attacks of “cronyism.”
The next meeting of the Biddeford Charter Review Commission will be held on Feb. 23. More than likely, only a handful of people will attend. That’s fine, but don’t complain about the process unless you’re willing to change it.
It seems like rumors and speculation surrounding the sudden resignation of City Councilor David Flood is spreading faster than the odds on whether Ron Paul is actually still alive or in a cryogenic state to be unfrozen after Election Day.
Let’s put to rest a few of the more popular rumors:
1.) This is NOT the final phase of a secret master plan that was coordinated by me, Flood and Mayor Alan Casavant. There was nothing wrong with the three of us pooling our financial resources last month to purchase $500,000-worth of gift cards.
Our purchase of those gift cards is nothing to worry about. Pay no attention. There is nothing to see here.
2.) I shall not seek nor will I accept a nomination by Mayor Alan Casavant to replace Flood on the city council.
I spoke with the mayor a short while ago and we are on the same page: such a move would look awful and smack of cronyism. I called the mayor to offer him some suggestions about potential nominees and to ensure that our gift cards were not being used improperly.
Besides, I doubt the mayor would ever consider nominating me because I am actually taller, better looking and far more skilled at banging a gavel.
Furthermore, I would be an awful city councilor. I have neither the temperament or the desire to spend a bulk of my free time arguing about solid waste, graffiti or the merits of mounting a full-scale invasion of Dayton.
3.) I am NOT returning to my life as an under-paid, overworked weekly newspaper editor. I have not received a call from David Flood, nor have I received a call from the folks who own the Journal Tribune and the Courier.
4.) I did not start this blog as a precursor to Flood’s move to Current Publishing. Truth be known, Flood hates this blog almost as much as he hates me. I have it on good authority that he recently hired some professional thugs from Saco to take me out.
I am not concerned about Flood’s plan to have me assasinated while I sleep. I have well-armed body guards who accompany me 24-7 and a ferocious golden retriever, not to mention my stunning, Ninja-like reflexes.
If there is going to be a newspaper war in Biddeford (Likely), then you will find me on the sidelines, taking notes and pictures for this blog.
5.) If Donald Sussman ever offers me $5 million for an ownership stake in All Along the Watchtower, here are three things I wouldNOTdo with the money:
Buy a home within 1,500-feet of my present location
Buy a downtown building that needs serious and expensive renovations
Run for the Biddeford City Council.
I hope this clears the air. We return you now to your regular programming.
More breaking news… Biddeford’s own media mogul, David Flood, intends to resign his Ward 7 seat on the Biddeford City Council.
In 2007, Flood sold the Biddeford-Saco-OOB Courier and several other weekly newspapers that he and his wife published as part of the Mainely Newspapers Group to the parent company of the Journal Tribune.
Today it looks like he can’t wait to get back into the newsapaper game.
According to a story in the American Journal, Flood will take over as publisher of the Sun Chronicle and other York County publications owned by Current Publishing, a former competitor of Mainely Newspapers, Inc.
Only weeks after selling his newspaper in 2007, Flood jumped into Biddeford politics, winning an at-large seat on the city council, before making a failed attempt to oust Mayor Joanne Twomey in 2009.
Flood returned to the council in November, but now will be resigning after serving fewer than 90 days in office.
We have also learned that the Biddeford Courier will soon be looking for a new home.
Flood owns the 180 Main Street building where the Courier is now published. Apparently, he plans to use the same building to house his newest endeavor with Current Publishing.
Flood is reportedly planning to publicly announce his resignation from the council on Tuesday, during the council’s next regular meeting.
It remains unclear whether there will need to be a special election to fill Flood’s vacancy or whether Mayor Alan Casavant will be able to appoint a replacement.
Since there is far more than a year remaining in Flood’s term, it is likely that the council will call for a special election.
LESSONS IN MEDIOCRITY | OUTLAW JOURNALIST 