Tag: James Bennett

Don’t Steal My Sunshine

~ Randy Seaver ~ Leave a comment

Note: This is the unedited version of my March 8, 2024 installment of All Along the Watchtower that originally appeared on the Saco Bay News website.

It probably would not come as much of a surprise if I were to tell you that a lot of people don’t like me very much.

Chief among those who will never join the official Randy Seaver Fan Club is none other than Biddeford City Manager James Bennett.

City Manager James Bennett. Photo credit: City of Biddeford website.

According to several sources, Bennett really, really does not like me.

He hates me more than Richard Nixon hated Carl Bernstein; more than Paul LePage hates Bill Nemitz.

Of course, Jim has never said that to my face, but that’s pretty much par for the course when it comes to Biddeford’s city manager.

Some people don’t like me because I have strong opinions and rarely turn down an opportunity to share those opinions with as many people as possible.

Others are jealous of my rugged good looks, my brilliant mind and my ability to string together sentences on an empty stomach.

But mostly, people are jealous of me because of my smoking hot wife. They shake their heads, wondering how Laura could possibly want to share her bed with a significantly overweight, bald guy who wears partial dentures and takes five different medications to combat persistent mental health issues.

Sadly, every single thing in the above paragraph is absolutely true. Not a lick of sarcasm. (Smoking two packs of non-filtered cigarettes every day for nearly 40 years takes a toll. Just trust me on this.)

Back to Bennett.

While there are several people in Biddeford who would probably love to see me jump to my death from atop the MERC smokestack, few of them have as much reason to hate me as does Jim Bennett.

Over the last couple of years, I have been a thorn in Bennett’s heel. A proverbial fly in the ointment —- in short, I have been a real pain in his ass.

I have publicly critiqued his management style. I have talked and written about things that he would probably prefer to keep under the radar. I pester him, calling his office and sending him emails in an effort to dig up and report public information.

I have written and published stories that don’t always paint the most flattering picture of my community.

Why do I do this? Why am I such a jerk? Who needs pesky reporters roaming the hallways of City Hall unsupervised?

I mean, really. The city has its own Facebook page. In fact, our tax dollars are used so that the city can write its own news about what the city is doing. What could possibly go wrong?

Why do we need independent, third-party journalists?

I’m a believer

This coming week (March 10-16) we will once again celebrate National Sunshine Week, and it has nothing to do with turning our clocks forward one hour.

Sunshine Week is a national initiative spearheaded by the American Society of News Editors. It was founded in 2005, and its purpose is to highlight the tools and resources that the media (and the general public) has to ensure open and transparent government.

Why should Sunshine Week matter to you?

Jim Zachary, national deputy editor for CNHI, penned a column for the American Society of News Editors. The following is an excerpt:

“The media is most definitely not your enemy,” Zachary wrote. “Far from being the enemy of the people, day in and day out we take our role as the Fourth Estate (government oversight) seriously and work hard to protect your right to know, making public records requests and attending public meetings to keep you informed.

“Why?

“Because we believe all the business government does, whether in open public meetings or behind closed doors, is your business.

“We believe every last penny government spends is your money.

“We believe it is your right to know every transaction, every decision, every expenditure and every deliberation of your government.

“Whether talking about the White House, the statehouse or the county courthouse, all the documents held in government halls belong to the people, and all the business conducted by our governors is public business.”

Sunshine Week coincides with the anniversary of the Freedom of Information Act, federal legislation that was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson in 1966 just as the Vietnam War was heating up.

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) provides the media with the legal muscle that we need in order to keep the public informed about government affairs.

One of the earliest and most notable uses of the FOIA was its role in the Watergate scandal. Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein had to use extraordinary tactics, which included FOIA, in order to get to the truth that eventually crumbled Richard Nixon’s presidency.

Last week, Biddeford City Manager James Bennett presented his proposed annual budget to the city council. I sat there, in the back row, taking notes. I was the only reporter there. Honestly, it made me very sad.

Thirty years ago, there would be at least three reporters at every city meeting. But it’s different now. The Portland Press Herald closed its local Main Street bureau. The locally owned Biddeford-Saco Courier was sold and the Journal Tribune, formerly the Biddeford Daily Journal, this area’s iconic news source, fell victim to the ongoing corporate butchering of local media coverage, closing its doors forever.

Today, the Portland Press Herald rarely covers local news in the Biddeford-Saco area. Reporter Gillian Graham is smart, talented and hardworking, but she is spread thin, and her employer has opted to save money by using the weekly Biddeford-Saco Courier to cover news in this neck of the woods.

Eloise Goldsmith, the Courier’s newest reporter, is also smart, talented and hard-working. That said, Goldsmith’s editors expect her to cover the communities of Biddeford, Saco, Old Orchard Beach, Kennebunk, Kennebunkport and Arundel.

How we can we possibly expect one person to cover such a large geographic area?

 Many years ago, when I was the Courier’s editor, we had one reporter covering Biddeford, another reporter covering Saco and Old Orchard Beach; and yet another reporter covering the towns of Kennebunk, Kennebunkport and Arundel for our sister publication, The Post.

Today, we are expecting one reporter to do the same job as three reporters did 25 years ago.

According to a Brookings Institution report, more than 2,000 newspapers across the country ceased publication in the last 15 years or so. The shuttering of newspapers presents a very real and present danger to our most basic freedoms.

Who cares? Who does this hurt?

It hurts you, your wallet and your neighbors.

Thankfully, one young woman from Old Orchard Beach decided that this area deserves a media source to help fill the coverage gap left behind by the changing local journalism landscape.

When the Journal Tribune closed its doors a few years ago, reporter Liz Gotthelf packed up her belongings and decided to launch Saco Bay News, a free online, professional news source.

Running an independent media source is no easy task. There is no such thing as a 40-hour work-week. The income sucks, the hours are long and the work is often so tedious that is causes migraines.

It is a mostly a thankless task and easily criticized by people who know very little about journalism. But Liz is fully committed. She is an idealist, and she firmly believes that you should have consistent, reliable information regarding everything from the opening of a new eatery to coverage of bank robbery, a structure fire and yes even your local budget.

I Can’t Get No (Satisfaction)

Jim Bennett will routinely ignore my telephone calls and emails. It doesn’t hurt my feelings, but it’s a disservice to the people I work for: you.

I treat Jim Bennett differently than any other city employee, including department heads. I have never written (and will never write) a disparaging column about any city employee. I will not make snarky remarks or sarcastic criticisms about our hard-working talented city employees.

I treat Jim differently, however. I hold him to a higher standard. Why?

Because Jim Bennett sits at the top of the proverbial food chain. Because he wants to wear the big-boy pants. Because he has more than 40 years of experience in city government.

But mostly because he often acts like an egotistical, condescending and arrogant son-of-a-bitch. What a pair we make.

A few months ago, former Mayor Alan Casavant, a friend of mine, called me and said that Jim Bennett thinks I treat him unfairly (I hear that from lots of people). I like Alan. I was his campaign manager when he first ran for the mayor’s seat in 2011 (I was not working as a journalist then). So, as a favor to the former mayor, I offered to sit down with Jim and a tape recorder and conduct a one-on-one interview on any topic of his choosing.

Reportedly, Jim did not like that idea. I’m guessing he was more worried about my tape recorder than he was about me.

Councilor Marc Lessard has often found himself on the wrong side of my pen. He and I have sparred publicly for more than three decades. But you know what? Marc always returns my calls promptly.

It’s not personal, it’s business.

Few people have suffered more because of my writing than Councilor Bobby Mills. Just ask him. But you know what? Bobby Mills always returns my calls.

Why? Because Lessard and Mills have thick skin and realize that I am a direct conduit to their constituents. To them, the people’s business is more important than petty, vindicative personality battles.

In all fairness, Jim Bennett can be a nice guy when he wants to be.

Jim is intelligent, and he does have a lot of municipal experience. He is also very involved in charitable work with the non-profit Kora Shrine Temple and commits hundreds of hours annually to the Shriners and their mission to provide free medical treatment for children.

All Jim needs is a thicker skin and a better attitude. But I don’t think he needs more highly paid assistants working in the city manager’s office.

I think Larry Vaughan, the mayor of Amity Island, said it best in the movie Jaws:

“Look, Martin, if you yell barracuda, people will say “Huh? What? But if you yell FOIA, we’ll have a panic on our hands on the Fourth of July.”

As always, thank you for reading, and I welcome your thoughts, especially if you disagree with me.

________

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Turn You Inside Out

~ Randy Seaver ~ 1 Comment

When Biddeford City Manager James Bennett first unveiled his proposed FY 2025 municipal budget last week, he made a point of reminding the city council and the public that the city is not operated like a business.

Bennett’s remarks were likely intended to get ahead of a frequent refrain often heard from beleaguered and stressed taxpayers. Almost like clockwork, municipal officials hear the same mantra: that the city should be run like a business.

Bennett says comparing the city to a privately operated business is not comparing apples to apples.

Biddeford City Manager James Bennett; photo from the city’s website.

For the most part, I agree with him.

A business is incorporated to make profit and provide a steady revenue stream to its shareholders.

In the private sector, businesses do not face several restrictions and other obligations that must be endured by public sector operations such as local and state governments.

For example, if an annoying reporter like me wants a printed copy of some internal inter-office memo within city government, then the government must accommodate my request for that information. I do not, however, have the same access to inter-office memos generated by companies such as Boeing, General Dynamics or even Pizza by Alex.

Those businesses are allowed to keep and defend trade secrets, whether it’s the design of a new landing gear or a new recipe for making calzones. They are not accountable to the media.

If the city chooses to build a new piece of infrastructure, such as a new road, bridge or sewer connection, it must jump through several hoops in order to ensure transparency and strict adherence to state and local laws. Every member of the public (property taxpayers and non-property taxpayers) gets to have a say in the plan. There must be ample public input and advertised public hearings.

Although the private sector cannot simply do whatever it wants, they can make things happen more efficiently because they are not hamstrung by all sorts of obligations in the public sector.

During his presentation, Bennett also pointed out that city is facing the very same inflationary pressures that are being faced by you, me and every other consumer.

I am paying more for heating oil. I am paying more for water, electricity and even internet service. My grocery bills have exploded even though our household consumption remains somewhat flat (unlike my stomach)

I understand that we are in an election year, but the economy is still a concern for many people, especially when it comes to soaring housing costs and people on fixed incomes, lying awake at night, wondering if they are going to lose their homes.

Well guess what? If you’re paying more to fill your gas tank, the city is paying more to fill its tank. If you’re paying more for electricity, the city is paying more for its electricity. If you’re paying more for toilet paper, ink cartridges or lightbulbs, the city is also paying more for those things.

Now I know some of you are saying the economy is not that bad. In fact, unemployment numbers are near record lows. While that’s mostly a good economic sign, it’s not very good news for the city.

Private employers throughout southern Maine are scrambling for workers. Help wanted signs are all over the place, forcing employers to add more incentives and higher pay scales for their employees.

The city is not immune from this problem. We have to be creative in figuring out strategies to attract and retain qualified employees.

Lack of affordable housing also presents a challenge for the city. If a young teacher right out of college is looking for a new job – or a new police officer right out of the academy is looking for a job, they have to consider how much it’s going to cost to either live in or commute to the city.

The city cannot magically drop housing costs. The same problem is affecting communities throughout the southern Maine area. It’s not just a Biddeford problem.

Running to Stand Still

So how do we get a handle on ever increasing property taxes?

In the private sector, we can reduce services. For example, Laura and I had a wonderful lunch at the Muddy Rudder Restaurant in Yarmouth on Monday. That restaurant is now closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Many other businesses are following suit. The private sector is also looking to technology to reduce overhead. Self-checkout cashier options, automated payment services and much longer wait times for customer service are becoming the norm.

Taxpayers want and demand municipal services. You want a qualified team of EMTs or paramedics to be available 24/7. You want your road plowed. You want that pothole to be fixed. You want police and a fire department that can respond within just a few minutes.

There’s nothing wrong with taxpayers demanding services to be provided by the city they support.

So where does that leave us?

Frankly, between a rock and a hard place.

But there is a flipside to this coin. If the Seaver Family Pizzeria decides to raise its prices by 20 percent, you can choose to either go someplace else or make your own pizza for a fraction of the cost.

In the private sector, you – – as a consumer – – have a choice. In the private sector, Seaver’s Pizzeria must be competitive with other businesses, such as Pizza By Alex. We can’t just arbitrarily jack our prices without probably losing customers (revenue).

Now where does the city get its revenue? Every dollar the city uses comes from your back pocket. The city does not produce a product. The city relies solely on taxpayer revenues, whether it’s state funding or revenue sharing, a federal grant, excise taxes, permit fees, etc., etc.

All the money comes from you and me. Period.

And guess what? We really can’t take our business anywhere else. I can refuse to shop at Walmart if I don’t like how they operate their store.

But when it comes to the city, you either pay your taxes or the city takes your home. Sure, there are a lot of legal steps that the city must follow in taking your property, but they will do it.

If you don’t believe me, just ask Dorothy LaFortune. (Read This).

As Jon Hamm’s character, Special Agent Frawley, said in the movie The Town, “this is the not the fucking around crew.”

Sure, you can fight City Hall, but ultimately, it’s quite likely that you will lose everything you own.

Bennett is pretty much right. The city is not a business.

The city does not have to be competitive for its consumers, like a private business. The city does not have to worry about losing its customers like a private business. The city, unlike a business, has a guaranteed revenue stream regardless of what happens with the economy.

So, is there any good news? Any shimmer of light on the horizon?

Yup. It’s you and your neighbors.

The city is ultimately controlled by its residents who choose to vote and participate in their government.

If you just sit back and bitch and whine on Facebook, don’t expect much of a change. It’s easy to find out who represents you on the council. Go to a council meeting or participate online.

Raise your voice. Do your part. Get involved. Reach out to your specific city councilor and the at-large representatives on the council. You can find their contact info here.

Don’t expect your neighbors to pick up your slack. Don’t expect me to keep you informed. You are a shareholder in this organization. It’s your responsibility to question how the city is operated.

The first public hearing on the city’s proposed FY 2025 budget takes place on March 26 at City Hall. If you can’t make it, reach out to your councilor in advance.

What Jim Bennett is recommending is another six percent budget increase, which includes a nine percent increase in municipal spending. If you’re good with that, just sit back, relax and enjoy a bowl of popcorn.

Otherwise, make your voice heard.

Note: If you’re having a hard time finding contact information or details about the city’s proposed budget, you can contact me for assistance.

_________

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I Am The Walrus

~ Randy Seaver ~ Leave a comment

I have been covering Biddeford City Hall for nearly a quarter century, and I don’t recall seeing anything so silly and inane as what I witnessed during Tuesday’s city council meeting.

If you are a resident of Biddeford, you can let out a deep sigh of relief because City Manager James Bennett and his crack staff uncovered a little-known flaw in the city’s municipal ordinances.

Apparently, up until Tuesday, there was nothing in the city’s code of ordinances regarding improper or unauthorized usage of the city’s official seal.

Members of the city council, almost without question, dutifully voted unanimously to approve this important and vital change to our code of ordinances.

Phew! We narrowly dodged a bullet there.

But here’s the deal. It was already illegal. State law already prohibits any persons or entity from using a municipal seal in any inappropriate manner.

In fact, Bennett and his staff knew – before bringing this gem before the council— that it was already a violation of state law to use the city’s official seal in an unauthorized manner. But that didn’t stop them from drafting both a memo and new ordinance language in order to ensure that bad people clearly know that our city will not tolerate violations of state law within the city limits.

Wait. What?

In the classic 1978 comedy Animal House, Dean Wormer is vexed about a notorious fraternity on the campus of Faber College. In one memorable scene, the dean tells some close allies that he will place the Delta fraternity on probation.

“But the Deltas are already on probation,” says the chair of the student council.

“Well then,” the dean says with a smirk. “Now they are on double-secret probation.”

Our city manager earns a handsome six-figure salary plus a suite of lucrative employment benefits. Under his watch over the last few years, City Hall staff has ballooned. The argument always being “we are very busy and need more people.” At the same time, we seem to be doing a piss-poor job of retaining department heads and other senior staff.

In fact, I was surprised that Bennett didn’t recommend hiring a consultant to study the issue of inappropriate use of the city seal. Then we could send those recommendations from the consultant to the Policy Committee, where it would be dutifully reviewed and sent back to the council.

At this point, based on actual recent events, the council could then ask for “more information” and suggest that the Policy Committee should host a joint meeting with the city’s Conservation Committee in order to develop a joint resolution and appropriate guidance for the city council.

Meanwhile, residents are opening eye-popping property tax bills. Meanwhile, more and more of our neighbors are sleeping in doorways. Meanwhile, we can’t figure out how to paint the city’s clock tower. Meanwhile, we have a downtown parking debacle that borders on the absurd.

What’s next?

Is Bennett going to recommend to the council that we should amend our ordinances “to affirm” that murder is not allowed in the city of Biddeford?

I mean, right now all we have is the Ten Commandments and some rather explicit language at both the state and federal level that spells out murder is against the law. Sure, let’s update our municipal ordinances.

I don’t care if Bennett and his staff spent less than two hours on this issue. It was an epic waste of time and resources. Is the city manager just trying to justify his salary? Or does he and his staff have lots of free time to generate this sort of stuff?

Make no mistake. As usual, no one from the public spoke. No one from the public attended the meeting. Left to their own devices, this is the kind of stuff that happens in government when no one is watching.

This is your tax dollars at work. Happy?

Just remember: “Hooper drives the boat, Chief”

Originally posted in Saco Bay News

‘Don’t Waste Your Time With Saco’

~ Randy Seaver ~ Leave a comment

Biddeford City Manager vents his frustration regarding the issue of homelessness and the neighboring city of Saco

City Manager Jim Bennett did not hold back his opinions about the neighboring city of Saco during a March 7 Biddeford City Council meeting.

City Manager James Bennett

The Biddeford council was in the midst of debating the merits of hiring a professional consultant to help the city take direct action in addressing the issue of unhoused residents in the community.

Bennett, who seemed clearly frustrated about the issue earlier in the meeting, decided to take a swipe against Saco officials and their response to the issue of unhoused residents.

“My two cents, for what it’s worth, if you want action — don’t waste your time having a conversation with Saco as it relates to this issue,” Bennett said.

Bennett’s unsolicited remarks came immediately after both Biddeford Councilors Doris Ortiz and Liam LaFountain raised the idea of working with Saco as part of a regional approach that could possibly save money and streamline resources.

Ortiz was clearly surprised by Bennett’s comments immediately raising her hands, leaning back in her chair and expressing shock.

LaFountain said he was disappointed by Bennett’s remarks and that both cities have many opportunities to work in unison on several issues.

“Working together as neighboring communities allows us to pursue more comprehensive solutions that benefit residents in both communities,” LaFountain said.

Saco Mayor Bill Doyle said he was also “disappointed” when he heard about Bennett’s public comments.

“Really, I’m sort of taken aback and at a loss for words,” Doyle said. “We’re sister communities. There’s no need in our local communities for this type of vitriol, which we see at the national level.”

Doyle said he was feeling optimistic about relationships between the two cities, especially following a joint council meeting in February. Both cities have appointed members to serve on a committee that will explore various ways the two communities can work together.

Saco’s deputy mayor, Jodi MacPhail, said she was “saddened” by Bennett’s “divisive” comment. “Growing up here, I remember the two cities having great relations, working on MERC, as well as many other projects over the years,” she said. “I will continue to take the high road and engage with Biddeford councilors and residents who appreciate both communities open dialogue without judgment.”

During a follow-up interview, Bennett said he is indeed “somewhat frustrated” both personally and professionally about the issue, but did not back down from his statements, including comments he made earlier during the March 7 meeting.

“I think most people know that I am a very straight-forward and direct person,” Bennett said. “My comments were honest and true.”

Bennett said collaboration with other communities may sound appealing, but often adds yet another layer of bureaucracy to an issue, ultimately slowing down the process of taking action. Bennett said the issue of unhoused people is not just a Biddeford issue, but that the city does need to “quickly make a decision” about how to proceed.

Earlier in the March 7 meeting, Bennett was clearly agitated, and he castigated those who raised concerns about spending $20,000 to hire a professional consultant who would help the city move forward in tackling the issue of unhoused residents.

Departing from his usual role in providing the council information about various issues and staff resources, Bennett offered more of a personal opinion to the council, questioning councilors and others who voiced concerns about hiring a consultant.

“I’m really tired of the misclassifications and all the other issues that happen around this damn issue,” Bennett said. “Personally and professionally, I’m tired. It’s time that the community make some decisions at this table,” he added, pointing to the council dais.

“I don’t think anybody should be really nervous that we want to bring a professional person in to help the council make a decision in full lights – and full FOIA [Freedom of Information Act] and where everybody understands what’s going on,” Bennett said.

“And if that makes you nervous,” he added, shrugging his shoulders. “Then I guess you ought to be concerned about what you’re doing and what your motives are.”

Bennett described the issue of unhoused residents as “probably the most difficult issue that a local, elected body can tackle,” citing a lack in resources from both the state and federal governments.

Ultimately, the council voted 7-2, with Scott Whiting and Bobby Mills in opposition, to hire a professional consultant.