George Orwell once wrote “Journalism is printing what somebody else doesn’t want printed. Everything else is public relations.”
Since I have worked as both a journalist and as a public relations professional, I can tell you that quotation from Orwell often rings quite true, especially in a small town where some things are considered off-limits for pesky reporters.
Since this is a column about the city of Saco and Thornton Academy, and since I graduated from T.A., I lifted the title for this column from my senior year yearbook: “A Campus Set Apart.”
Sounds nice, doesn’t it? A Campus Set Apart. A distinguished honor, a trumpeting of high achievement.
But what I want to know is this: A campus set apart from what, exactly?
Let’s pause here for a moment for some very necessary disclosure: I graduated from Thornton Academy in 1982. My sister also graduated from T.A., as did my father and both of my aunts. In fact, my grandfather taught there briefly before teaching at Biddeford High School.
So, I know a little bit about Thornton Academy, its reputation and its history.
More disclosure, since we’re also talking about the city of Saco: My youngest step sister, Jodi MacPhail also graduated from Thornton and is today the mayor of Saco.
Although Thornton Academy is a private school, it has also served as Saco’s default high school for nearly 200 years. That’s quite a history.
But despite this long-standing relationship between the city and Thornton, and the fact that these negotiations happen every few years, there seems to be a fair amount of friction between the two parties.
I posted the story on the Biddeford-Saco Community Facebook page on Wednesday morning. Within just a couple of hours, the accusations and fervent defense of one side’s position went almost off the rails.
That Facebook post reached more than 2,000 viewers within the first 24 hours, and it generated more than 117 comments.
I was stunned by the commentary, the bulk of which was aimed at defending Thornton Academy and criticizing the city’s negotiating team.
Honestly, I expected the reverse. As someone who tracks local issues very closely, I wrongly assumed that Saco taxpayers would naturally align closer to the city’s negotiating position.
Then again, the city of Saco does not employ a public relations professional, but Thornton Academy does. And it appears to be money well spent.
Maybe I’m a cynic, but it appeared that Thornton Academy had rallied their troops and circled their wagons even before the story was published. Many of the commenters didn’t disclose their own connections to the private school, including teachers and other employees.
Commentary in support of Thornton Academy pummeled the opposition by a margin of close to 9-1.
Wow, I thought. I better be careful about what I write about Thornton, especially if I have the temerity to tackle some of the school’s beloved mythology.
I was born in a small town
Sometimes it can be weird: being a reporter in a small town. Reporters are supposed to be objective and unbiased. Sometimes, it’s a bit tougher to accomplish those high ideals of journalism than it looks, especially when you bump into the people you write about at the grocery store or if your kids play on the same Little League team.
Simply questioning Thornton Academy or sympathizing with the city’s negotiating team feels almost treasonous to me. I am an alum, after all.
But unlike almost all of my 1982 classmates, I have a rather unique view of Thornton Academy.
It’s no secret that I was experiencing some difficulties during my teenage years. When things got too far out of control, my mother sent me to live with my uncle in West Peru. That transition happened just a few weeks into my sophomore year at Thornton.
Kids from the town of Peru were sent to Rumford High School, now Mountain Valley High School. I finished my sophomore year and then attended my entire junior year in Rumford.
But I begged my mother to let me return to Thornton so that I could graduate with all my “friends” from Saco before heading off to basic training in the U.S. Air Force.
In retrospect, I should have stayed at Rumford. I never really fit in at either Thornton or Rumford. It may surprise you – and I now find it quite ironic – that many kids from Rumford looked down their noses at kids from Peru. Imagine a snobby kid from Rumford. A contradiction of terms.
At least the undercurrents of elitism at Thornton were based on some measure of reality. But kids are kids, no matter where they go to school. Still, I was able to compare two high schools as a student of both.
Oh, the places you’ll go
The defense of Thornton on social media followed two very basic themes. 1.) Thornton Academy is a top-notch school, and 2.) Saco should just be grateful, stop asking questions and shut up. Thornton Academy, after all, is a private school. They answer to no one except their own self-appointed Board of Trustees, a virtual who’s who in Saco’s power structure.
But here’s one of the main rubbing points in this current negotiation: Saco representatives want just a bit of accountability and transparency from Thornton, including a proposal to have a city representative appointed as a non-voting member to the Board of Trustees.
Sounds reasonable, right?
Yeah, not so much. It was as if the city asked Thornton to change its name to Saco High School.
Make no mistake. The city of Saco is damned fortunate to have Thornton Academy as the primary option for all its public high school students.
But it should also be noted that Thornton Academy is also quite fortunate to have such a close relationship to the city, a steady, reliable and predictable source of income.
Many private schools struggle when the economy disrupts the ability of parents to pay private tuition costs. Thornton has a healthy buffer from those recession and inflationary woes: a buffer to the tune of more than $17 million per year in tuition costs from Saco taxpayers.
Furthermore, even though Thornton Academy can charge prime market tuition for its private students, it is still a non-profit entity and does not pay any property taxes on its acres and acres of manicured lawns and the several brick buildings that make up its campus; a campus set apart.
Let’s make a deal
From all accounts, the ongoing negotiations between Saco and Thornton Academy are based upon something that both sides agree upon. Both Thornton and Saco ultimately want what is best for Saco kids.
In any negotiating situation, both sides have to come to the table in good faith. Both sides have to give a little and both sides have to get a little. Otherwise, it’s not negotiating. It’s blackmail.
But let’s remember something for all of the people bragging about the success of their kids who went to Thornton and later got into very good colleges and universities: not every kid is college bound.
In fact, several Thornton Academy students take vocational classes at the Biddeford Regional Center of Technology.
However, according to Saco City Attorney Tim Murphy (who also serves on Thornton’s Board of Trustees), use of the word ‘Biddeford” anywhere on Thornton’s campus is a felony offense that carries a minimum two-year prison term in the town of Dayton.
Relax, Tim Murphy never really said that.
All kidding aside, some Saco school kids also require special-ed services. Not every kid is college bound. Saco has a responsibility to advocate for ALL of its students, not just the college-bound students or the outstanding athletes.
Eight of the 11 private high schools in Maine provide all their students with free lunch, consistent with a new state law that requires all public schools to offer free lunch. Thornton is one of the three private schools that does not offer that option. Why?
Although private schools like Thornton are exempt from the new law, it creates a dividing line between the haves and the have nots. Remember high school? Now imagine being one of just a few kids who has to ask for a free lunch.
To their credit, Thornton has a policy to expand free lunch for any student within 260 percent of the federal poverty rate, but it still forces students and their parents to go through the humiliation of asking for financial help.
The city of Saco is not looking to “take over” a private high school with an exemplary reputation, but if I’m going to fork over $17 million for something you can bet your sweet ass that I’m going to want something in return.
For comparison purposes, the city of Biddeford has a contract with a private firm that handles repair, maintenance and operations of all its photocopiers. That annual contract is roughly $150,000 a year and includes the school department.
Biddeford’s contract with that private firm has more transparency and accountability for photocopiers than Saco has for all of its high school students.
If Thornton doesn’t want public accountability, then maybe it should stop taking public funds. Many private companies across the country have government contracts, but they also have to follow certain rules including accountability and transparency.
Bath Iron Works strikes me as an exceptional shipyard, but when the Senate Appropriations Committee comes sniffing around for accountability and transparency regarding federal contracts, you can bet that BIW doesn’t tell Sen. Angus King to go pound sand.
Thornton Academy: Myth, Legend or Reality?
On a final note, while Thornton certainly has the prettiest high school campus in southern Maine, how does it stack up against other high schools when it comes to things other than landscaping?
As I said previously, I went to Thornton and Rumford High School. I would be hard-pressed to come up with any objective measure of which school was better.
I was one of those college-prep kids. In my sophomore year at Rumford High School, we were studying the works of Marcus Aurelius – in Latin. English teacher Richard Mullins – one of my favorite high school teachers – required us to do a deep-dive into Orwell’s Animal Farm, requiring essays and research to critique that work’s inspiration: the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution.
Thornton also had amazing and dedicated faculty who pushed us hard. One of my favorites was Norman Trottier, who adamantly refused to let me drop French IV during my senior year so that I could just coast toward basic training.
Phil Curtis was such a passionate and dedicated teacher at Thornton. He was so incredibly patient and kind towards me, even though I barely understood the mathematical foundation of two-plus-two.
There were so many other fine teachers at both Rumford and Thornton. How do you objectively measure which school is better? You really can’t.
Public schools in Maine are required by law to publicly post their MEA (Maine Educational Assessment) scores. Not Thornton.
So how do Saco taxpayers really know what they’re getting for their $17 million per year? Do taxpayers just have to blindly accept what the cheerleaders are screaming on the sidelines?
Maybe, but it would appear that there is also more than landscaping that “sets Thornton apart.” They also have a pretty good public relations department.
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I was just talking with one of my closest friends about how quickly summer is fading. We talked about time, and the error of counting the days; but we also talked about politics. (It’s expected. We’re both self-described political junkies.)
I commented, “I’m so ready for this election to over. Just 72 days until Nov. 6, the day after the election.”
And he said, “Over?” Nope.”
And then I realized he was right.
On November 6, – – no matter who wins the election — many of my friends will be celebrating and filled with happiness and satisfaction. On the other side of aisle, many of my friends will be feeling somewhat hopeless, disconnected and fearful.
A wise man once told me: “Expectations are pre-mediated resentments.”
What are we expecting from this election? After CNN tallies the results, do we all walk out onto the playing field and shake hands with the opposing team? Hardly.
So, I am now tempering my expectations and reminded of the fact that the Reality Fairy doesn’t carry a wand. She carries a 2 x4.
Thus, here are a few of my expectations about what life will be like on November 6 (the day after the election), regardless of who wins.
1.) We will still fight with one another. People will still weaponize social media in order to push and cement their own political narrative.
2.) Too many of our neighbors will still be living in tents, mostly forgotten.
3.) We will still be easily distracted by celebrity “news” and gossip. We will continue paying some people millions of dollars simply because they are really good at running and catching a leather ball.
4.) Our political leaders will still fight and offer us plenty of finger-pointing, blame and derision, but few — if any — solutions will be built upon innovation and collaboration: bipartisanship.
5.) People will continue using credit cards for the things they really cannot afford, whether it’s a vacation or a new tattoo.
6.) We will not be satisfied with anything. The cost of housing, utilities and food will continue to climb, no matter who sits in the Oval Office.
7.) Global hunger will continue and actually get worse.
8.) The rattling of war sabers will continue in Gaza, Ukraine and so many other places around the globe.
9.) Many other nations (North Korea, Iran, China, Russia and so many others) will still hate us and seek to weaken us.
10.) Poor people will still be poor and rich people will still be rich (That’s actually a constant that dates back more than 200,000 years)
My advice? Don’t count the days. Don’t expect things to be fundamentally different. We are all — all of us — Republicans and Democrats — saddled with the same unfortunate reality: that everyone is human, and thus we are all somewhat flawed.
May God have mercy on our souls.
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Biddeford Mayor Marty Grohman said this week that the city may not be included in the review process of a new pier that the University of New England wants to build on the Saco River.
According to city ordinances, such a project generally must first be approved and facilitated by the city’s harbormaster before any other regulatory agency can conduct its own review of the proposal, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Saco River Corridor Commission.
However, because of actions by the city’s harbormaster and the chair of the Biddeford Harbor Commission, Grohman said the only way for a “fair review of the application” might now include the city withdrawing itself from the review process entirely.
“At this point, they [UNE] are holding all the cards,” Grohman said. “I don’t know how we can get them back to the table.”
On Friday, John Schafer abruptly resigned his position as chair of the Biddeford Harbor Commission.
Schafer told Saco Bay News that he felt “shackled” in his attempt to provide “clarity and transparency” to the discussions surrounding the university’s proposal.
Schafer admits that he should not have played an advocacy role in the review process, but says he was angered by the university’s threat of litigation against the city if their new pier and its specific location is not approved.
According to documents obtained by Saco Bay News, the university began raising threats of litigation months before their pier proposal was formally submitted to the city in June.
“Talk about putting the cart before the horse,” Schafer said. “You had UNE bullying the city with threats of litigation even before they submitted their proposal.”
Several months before the university formally submitted its proposal, Ron Schneider, the university’s general counsel and vice president of legal affairs, sent a letter to the city’s attorney, arguing that the proposed location for the pier was already a “settled issue.”
“It is our position that the planned location of the GMSC Pier is a settled issue,” Schneider wrote. “Mr. Lariviere, and by extension the city, is estopped from reversing course at this time and mandating a different location for the pier.”
In his letter, Schneider says that both Lariviere and former harbormaster Marshall Alexander “specifically told university representatives” in 2015 that the proposed pier should not be built in the location that Lariviere is now suggesting as a more appropriate location.
Lariviere denied Schneider’s assertions about the location of the pier. “That is a complete fabrication,” he said. The harbormaster also says the city’s ongoing actions in removing him and the assistant harbormaster from the approval process violates several state laws.
Grohman says the situation has become a “real mess for the city,” and is causing “unfortunate delays” for the university.
“I’m not sure how we can proceed from this point,” the mayor said during a telephone interview on Sunday.
“There’s really nothing in our ordinances about how to proceed in this situation,” Grohman said. “We have been put into a difficult position.”
Although City Manager James Bennett has previously declined to say whether the university has threatened the city with possible litigation, two letters from Schneider to City Attorney Harry Center make clear that the university is prepared to use litigation if the city does not approve their proposed location for the new pier.
In his Feb. 13 letter, Schneider wrote that Lariviere’s “continued inappropriate obstruction would result in delay that would adversely affect Biddeford, would cause project delay, and would significantly increase expense to the university.”
“It is our sincere hope that UNE is not forced to resort to litigation to avoid the delay and expense that will result if Mr. Lariviere were to insist on obstructing the building of the pier,” Schneider wrote.
Schneider said the university “cherishes its relationship with the city and its people and only wishes to continue being a valuable member of the community.”
Grohman said the University of New England is one of the top-ten academic institutions in the world in field of marine research.
“What they are hoping to do with their pier will result in a lot of positive outcomes,” the mayor said.
As part of his resignation letter to the mayor and all members of the city council, Schafer included a brief video he produced that affirms what the city’s harbormaster, assistant harbormaster and others have been saying about the river depth where the university wants to build its pier.
In the video, depth measurement equipment clearly shows that the river is, in fact, deeper closer to the shore than in the location proposed by the university.
Lack of adequate mooring depth has been one pf the primary concerns raised by Biddeford’s harbormaster in connection to the university’s proposal.
UNE representatives, however, say the water depth is better in their proposed location, citing research from engineering firms they hired to study the issue.
Grohman said he has a high opinion of Schafer and his abilities. “I am sorry to see him step down, but I do think it was the appropriate thing to do,” he said.
“The best and fairest way to move forward may be to have the city withdraw from the approval process and see what other agencies have to say about the project,” Grohman said. “One way or another, we have got to get this thing figured out.”
Although he wears many hats, Richard Rhames of Biddeford could probably best be described with just three words: authentic, passionate and persistent.
Rhames, 78, is a well-known commodity at City Hall. He is an outspoken member of the public, a former city councilor and a tireless member of the both the city’s Conservation Commission and Cable Television Committee.
Richard Rhames/ Seaver photo
Over the last four decades, Rhames has developed a reputation as someone who means what he says, and says what he means. He rarely pulls punches when criticizing local leaders and their policies; and he is always willing to fight even when he knows the odds are insurmountably stacked against him.
Today, Richard and wife Pat own and operate Shady Brook Farm on outer West Street. That 80-acre farm has been in Rhames’ family for three generations, and the land represents one of the last family-owned farms in the area.
Rhames, who serves as president of the Saco Valley Land Trust, laments the loss of small farms, but keeps his hands firmly on the plow in a time when farming has pretty much become a corporate enterprise.
“If farming was easy, everyone would do it,” he said with a wry grin. “Let me assure you, nothing about farming is easy.”
To the casual observer, it seems that Rhames is always willing to do things the hard way. He dismisses the notion of going along to get along.
Sticking to his principles and beliefs has cost Richard some friends and his seat at the table of local power, where he was widely considered a thorn-in-the side of the Chamber of Commerce types.
Richard was an at-large member of the Biddeford City Council when the September 11 terrorist attacks occurred. Within days, the council had decided to place miniature American flags along the council dais. There was one flag in front of each councilor.
At the beginning of the next council meeting, Rhames used his arm to move the flag to his side as he was spreading out paperwork. A fellow city councilor expressed outrage, and a reporter from the Journal Tribune wrote that Rhames had “shoved the flag away.”
The public was largely unforgiving. It was a time of hyper-patriotism and there was little tolerance for anything deemed to be “un-American.”
Rhames had already been long criticized for his questioning of U.S. policies in the Middle East, including Iraq. He was unapologetic. Just a few weeks later, Biddeford voters showed him the door.
“I never shoved the flag,” he said. “But the damage was done. The political class was not happy with me, and they gladly grabbed onto a piece of red meat.”
Rhames never stopped sharing his political views. He wrote a regular column in both the Journal Tribune and the Biddeford-Saco Courier. Much of his written work focused on labor issues, workers’ rights and conservation issues.
He is a long-time advocate for single-payer healthcare and says if the city is serious about the issue of affordable housing, the best weapon to bring to that fight is municipally-mandated rent control.
He is also a fairly well-known musician, playing rhythm guitar with two different bands throughout the area.
What got you involved in local government?
“It was the airport. Back in the ‘70s, they started pushing a plan to build a cross-wind runway. They intended to buy the George Fogg property, which was between the paved part of Granite Street Extension and the town line. That’s always been the wet dream – – the cross-wind runway.
“I started going to Planning Board meetings and council meetings. I was probably the only guy in town who had actually read the master plan. I mean, who are we kidding? Master plan? Fuck that. It was supposed to be a done deal. The powerful people, the people with connections; it was what they wanted.
“Because Mayor [Babe] Dutremble was pissed that some of his political friends had been moving forward behind his back, he shut it down all by himself. It was in the papers, the York County Coast Star and the Journal.
“Then about 10 years later, in the mid-1980s, it came back again, with a vengeance. The new plan was even more grandiose. It would have Biddeford become a reliever for the Portland Jetport. We were going to get the freight shipments; it would have included 60,000-pound aircraft. They dream big, here in Biddeford. The FAA loved it, you know? And they thought they had it.
“We fought it. They wanted to change the zone to Industrial. That’s back when wetlands were just dismissed as swamps. We got some other people riled up and involved, and at one of our first neighborhood meetings we came up with a name at the supper table: NOISE (Neighbors Organized In Stopping Expansion).”
You have often complained about the fact that there is so little public participation in city meetings.
“In order to know what’s going on, you got to be there all the fucking time. And you’ve got to have no life, which is ideal for me. (Laughs)
But it’s not just local issues that get you fired up.
“Yeah, well you know. If I’m pissed about something, I’m going to stand up and say something. I don’t know any other way to be. I have this bad attitude, right?
“When I was younger, I could have gone back to teaching (public school). I was no longer 1A. I didn’t have to fight the draft anymore. When I grew up, I remember watching television and all the incessant propaganda. The whole mantra: the Russians are coming; the Russians are coming. The constant beating of the drum. The propaganda. The free world.
“I grew up in the ‘60s. I mean we were all drinking from the same propaganda trough, but it was the draft that literally forced a lot of young people to start recognizing what was happening, even though I went to a little white-bread Midwest college.
“I was as unquestioning as anyone else back then, until all this shit started happening. We had access to libraries and learning opportunities. We did this bus caravan thing. We went to Midland, Michigan, the home of Dow Chemical.
“We were all white bread kids; nobody had long hair; we were wearing suits at the march and the locals hated us because we had a rally in the park (Laughs).
“But we were earnest, and we had been looking into this a little bit. Most of us had some idea about the history of southeast Asia; how we took over for France in Vietnam. There was a history there that the newspapers never reported, but we came to understand that it was really fucked up; and why would anybody want to die for that?
“But to openly resist meant costs. Most of us were banking on what we were taught since elementary school: that we had some kind of career waiting for us in regular society.”
Do you ever get tired of fighting the good fight?
“I’m pissed, and I have been pissed for a long time. I don’t find that hope is terribly motivating. You gotta be pissed. It wasn’t right. It wasn’t right what we did on the grand scale.
“Even today, as much as the whole thing in Palestine is wrong, the Israelis, the Zionists, are pikers compared to the United States of America. The body count that we have rung up during my lifetime is really fucking impressive.
“Nobody talks about it, but if you want somebody killed, call us. We’ll either provide you with the weapons; better yet, we’ll do it ourselves. We’re really good at that. Spending a trillion dollars a year on the military? That’s easy.
“But if you speak up, they come after you. It’s dangerous, Randy. Why did they come after me the way they did after 9/11? Why have they come after me, including you, . . . why was I such a target? You know? This unassuming clodhopper with the big words and all that shit, you know? Why was I the target?
“Because I was willing to stand up and say this shit.”
What do you think about all the changes as Biddeford becomes a destination community?
“We were last in line. We had the incinerator [MERC]. They stopped pulping in Westbrook and that city began to gentrify almost immediately, and Westbrook isn’t placed nearly as well as we are. Against all the political odds . . . and the only reason that we got rid of the incinerator is because they wanted to leave . . . they [Casella Waste Systems] were ready to go.
“It always kills me, I guess it shouldn’t — when Alan [Casavant] expresses surprise, disbelieving; and talks about how quickly the shift started, how much things changed once we got rid of MERC. It would have happened anyway, but you had this whole Heart of Biddeford gentrifying, national advertising campaign. The whitewashing of Biddeford culture.
“We created a myth of what Biddeford is in order to entice new people to come here and exploit us, which they are doing.
“But we haven’t learned. The political class is still bending over backwards to subsidize private development.
“I keep telling them: Isn’t it time to pump the brakes a little? You don’t have to beg people to come here anymore. There’s no incinerator anymore. We’ve got all this ocean frontage, river frontage and all these old buildings from when Biddeford was the Detroit of New England.”
You are one of the most strident and vocal supporters of public access community television, even as the city slides further away from televised meetings to online forums.
“When we started with public access, there was some good stuff on the channel, but the political class was always uncomfortable. It frightened them because they couldn’t control the message.
“We used media for public education, to pull back the curtain and give information that you really couldn’t find anywhere else. It was good stuff, and I was never home.
“We were doing advocacy for ordinary people. You don’t generally find that on the airwaves. Who wants to do research to make a point? T.V. is something done to you now.”
Any thoughts on running for office again?
(Sighs) “I’m too old. My time is over. I understand how the world works. I’m not the one. I’m just not the one.”
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It’s that time of year again. Summer is beckoning, and we will soon be celebrating Pride Month, an international observance celebrating members of the LGBTQ+ community during the month of June.
Right on cue, you can expect to see a lot of push-back about Pride Month on social media platforms such as Facebook, X and Instagram. Those lamenting the celebration of Pride Month will sing an all-too-familiar refrain:
“Why are they shoving this stuff down our throats?”
“Why isn’t there a celebration for heterosexual people?”
“I don’t mind gay people, but why do they have to make a big deal about this stuff?”
“It’s immoral and against my religious values.”
Since I am a happily married heterosexual, I thought it might be useful if I attempted to answer those questions from the perspective of someone who doesn’t “fly the rainbow flag.”
What is often overlooked is the fact that Pride Month is a celebration for everyone, even us grumpy, older straight people fit on the rainbow spectrum.
The point of Pride celebrations is the joyous relief that no one – no one – has to live in fear of retaliation or even violence just because of their gender, orientation, skin color, cultural heritage or anything else.
Violence. you say? Really? That’s just an exaggeration to illicit sympathy for social deviants, right? Ummm, . . . here, hold my beer.
Join me now for a trip in the Way-Back time machine. Actually, we’re not going too far back in time.
It is October 6, 1998. We are standing in a sprawling pasture not far from Fort Collins, Colorado. We can see a long wooden fence with blood stains.
This is the spot where college student Matthew Shepard was beaten and tortured by two other men.
Mathhew had been strapped to one of those fence posts. His attackers took their time brutally attacking him, celebrating their uncorked rage and hatred. They beat him relentlessly until he lost consciousness.
Matthew’s attackers left him there alone to die in an open field, his body shattered and still bleeding. Matthew died a few days later in a hospital room.
What was Matthew’s crime? Why did his attackers hate him so much? Why did they feel the need to take his life? What terrible thing had he done to spark so much anger, so much hatred?
Matthew was gay.
That’s it. Matthew was an adult male who loved another man. That’s it. That’s all.
Simply because he loved another man, Matthew’s attackers felt it was their God-given, righteous duty to mete out their own version of justice.
During their trial, one of the attackers told the Court that Matthew had made “sexual advances” toward him. Some people even expressed sympathy toward the two men who killed Matthew Shepard.
Now, with that out of the way, let me now try to answer those four questions.
Why are they shoving this stuff down our throats?
Well, for starters, having a parade and flying a flag is far cry from “shoving something down anyone’s throats.” Gay people have been around just as long as straight people, but have always been in the minority. Always made to feel that thy are “queers” and not worthy. Defective, immoral people: faggots and dykes.
It has been this way for millennia. Homosexuality has been condemned in literature, films, popular music and even religious texts including the Bible and the Quran.
Remember high school? Imagine if one of your classmates brought another boy to the prom? How would that have gone over? Imagine that girl living down the street giving another girl a Valentine’s Day card.
In reality, — until very, very recently — heterosexuality is what is crammed down every kid’s throat from birth onward.
What bothers you so much about seeing a rainbow flag or seeing gay people openly and proudly marching in a parade? Why are you so easily triggered by seeing people now able to express their love and identity? Don’t we all have the right to life, freedom and the pursuit of happiness?
Why isn’t there a celebration for straight people?
Seriously? Every other month except June is basically a celebration, honoring heterosexual people. It’s Mr. and Mrs. Claus, not Mr. and Mister Claus, right?
If you’re a straight person, odds are that you have always enjoyed the relative safety, comfort and acceptance of being straight.
You were never asked to live a lie, to hide your true feelings. To remain in a closet out of sight, and out of my mind.
Up until just a few years ago, gay people were expected to stay out of view. They were not allowed to marry the person they loved and cherished. They were not allowed to serve in the military. All that is slowly changing. That is why gay people can now – finally – celebrate the fact that they are gay.
I don’t mind gay people, but why do they have to make a big deal about being gay?
For starters, refer to point No. 2. Are you married? Ever been to a wedding? Know someone who is married? Marriage ceremonies are a really big deal and represent a multi-billion-dollar industry.
Why do straight people make such a big deal about their weddings, engagements and anniversaries? It’s all-over social media: Straight people celebrating their kids, sharing pictures of their honeymoons and their dream weddings.
Who we love IS a big deal and cause for celebration, straight, gay or whatever.
It’s immoral and against my religious values.
Many people are quick to say that homosexuality is a sin, an affront to God, the creator. I’d like to know what exactly is wrong with consenting adults loving each other. What bothers you so much about adults being able to live their own, authentic lives?
“Well, it’s prohibited in the Bible,” some folks say.
Yes, it is. In fact, the Bible has some very specific language describing homosexuality as abomination. (Leviticus 18:22 and Leviticus 20:13, not to mention other passages in the New Testament.
The Book of Leviticus offers the following: “Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable, and “If a man lies with a man as one lies with woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.”
I wonder if the two men who attacked and killed Matthew Shepard were thinking, “hey, we’re just following what the Bible says.”
It should be noted that the same book of the Bible also prohibits tattoos, eating bacon, lobster, clams and oysters.
The book of Leviticus also offers helpful advice for the proper rules of selling a slave and advocates the death penalty for adultery.
So, do we follow the Bible or just the selected parts we like?
I can almost hear some people screaming about transgender persons using public restrooms and the “unfairness” of athletic teams that allow biological men to compete on women’s teams.
I don’t have all the answers. But I do have faith. I believe a nation that figured out how to put a man on the moon can probably tackle and solve these controversial issues.
Remember, less than 75 years ago it was still quite fashionable to complain about Blacks using the same water fountains as their white counterparts.
Are some members of the LGBTQ+ community a bit too extreme and in-your-face? Yup. Being gay or trans does not necessarily exempt you from being an asshole or stop you from being obnoxious or rude in public.
But 99.9 percent of the LGBTQ+ community are just like you and me. They just want to heave a sigh of relief and celebrate the fact that they no longer have to remain hidden from view.
As far as I know, celebrating Pride Month is not a compulsory obligation. If Pride celebrations really bother you, don’t go to the parade or flag-raising ceremony.
But maybe ask yourself this: what exactly are you afraid of? Do you view homosexuality as a disease? Are you worried that if your kid reads a book about another kid with two dads, then your kid will decide to become gay. Really?
When, exactly, did you decide that you were straight? Did you get it from a book, a movie or a parade?
If you’re gay, you’re gay. If you’re straight, you’re straight. It’s not any more of a choice than your eye color or your height. It’s how you were born. It’s who you are. It’s not a choice. You don’t choose to be tall or short; to have blue eyes or brown eyes. You don’t choose where you were born. It’s really okay for us to be different and to be decent toward people different from ourselves.
You always have the choice to just be kind and respectful. If a rainbow offends you, simply turn away. Scroll past.
Relax. July will be here before you know it. And then we can ALL celebrate our freedom by waving flags, marching in parades and lighting fireworks. Remember, we are ALL equal, not just us straight, old, grumpy white guys.
Peace!
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Although the University of New England earlier this month formally submitted its plan to build a new pier on the Saco River, that plan still remains mired in controversy.
Both the university (UNE) and Biddeford’s harbormaster seem to have their heels dug in regarding how the pier should be built.
Before the pier can be built, the plan must first be approved by the city of Biddeford’s harbormaster. The plan will then also require review and approval by several other agencies, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and the Saco River Corridor Commission.
As of press time, it remains unclear how the city will be able to review the proposal because City Manager James Bennett removed both the city’s harbormaster and assistant harbormaster from the review process in May.
Bennett said he removed the harbormasters because he felt they were biased and would not be able to objectively review the application.
In May, Bennett said he would appoint a harbormaster “Pro-Tem,” specifically for reviewing the university’s plan. Last week, Bennett told Saco Bay News he has not yet been able to find a temporary harbormaster to review UNE’s proposal.
“It is taking a bit longer than I anticipated, but we are going to continue our search in order to ensure that the university’s proposal is handled fairly and objectively,” Bennett said. “There are not a lot of people with that kind of experience. So, we need to go back to the drawing board.”
According to documents obtained by Saco Bay News, Bennett reached out to and was then rebuffed by the Maine Harbormasters’ Association when he asked that agency for guidance and suggestions about someone who could review the university’s proposal.
In a June 4 email response to Bennett’s inquiry, Daryen Granata of the Maine Harbormasters’ Association, said Bennett’s desire to appoint a temporary harbormaster was “unprecedented” and would likely be a violation of state law.
“Our board is unaware of any precedent for such a position,” Granata wrote. “Review of the relevant state law contains no provision regarding such a position. To do so would be inconsistent with the explicit state law.”
“The Maine Harbormasters Association discourages you from pursuing a ‘protem’ harbormaster as it is inconsistent with the prevailing law. Instead, we recommend that you work within the review hierarchy laid out in your harbor ordinance.”
Bennett said both he and city attorney Harry Center disagree with the legal opinion given by the association.
Bennett would not say whether he contacted Saco’s harbormaster to help review the application.
Dan Chadbourne, Saco’s harbormaster, said he was told that he should not comment on the controversy surrounding UNE’s proposed pier.
“All I can say is that channel is a joint jurisdiction between the cities of Biddeford and Saco,” Chadbourne said. “At some point, the city of Saco will be involved.”
Why the controversy?
UNE wants to build a pier jutting away from the shore in a perpendicular design and into the channel with a T-shaped configuration. The new pier will be used to dock the university’s marine research vessel in close proximity to their Marine Sciences building on the Biddeford campus.
Biddeford Harbormaster Paul Lariviere said the university’s plan would have a significant impact on existing moorings, navigation and public access. Last year, he shared an alternative proposal with UNE officials.
Lariviere’s alternate design runs parallel to the shore, without jutting into the channel. The university has dismissed the alternate plan, raising concerns about water depth during low tide.
But Lariviere says water depth at low tide is actually deeper closer to the shore in that specific location.
Lariviere says he has nothing personal against the University of New England, and is not attempting to block their attempts to build a new pier for their research vessel.
“They [UNE] have been talking publicly about their plan to construct a new pier for a few years now,” Lariviere said. “My concern has always been about following existing laws, regulations and city ordinances. I took the time to do some research in order to offer them a plan that would better meet their needs and have fewer impacts on public access, navigation, existing moorings and water depth.”
While university representatives maintain that their design is the only one that will give them adequate water depth for docking their research vessel, Lariviere and others say that’s simply not true, pointing to recent data they collected.
“The way the river runs, they (UNE) would be much better off with the alternative I provided them,” Lariviere said. “At mean low tide, there is actually better depth closer to the shoreline than further out in the channel.
“Frankly I don’t understand their adamant objection to the alternative plan we developed,” Lariviere said. “It would probably cost them less money to build, meet all of their stated needs and offer better depth for their vessel. The alternative plan I showed them would have no impacts on existing moorings and would remove concerns about public access and navigation.”
Lariviere said that over the past several months, many people have asked him his thoughts about the university’s plans for a new pier.
“I have just been answering questions people asked me,” Lariviere said. “Of course, I told people that their plan – as presented – would never fly. It’s simply because their plan does not meet existing standards and regulations. It’s not bias. It’s common sense.”
What UNE Says
According to Sarah Delage, a spokesperson for the university, the university’s proposal was rigorously reviewed and designed by engineering and environmental consultants.
Delage said the location of the proposed pier was chosen after expert marine engineers looked at nine potential locations and considered potential impacts to mooring, navigation and environmental concerns.
In their application, the university altered the harbormaster’s proposal. Their design adopts a starting point at a shore location almost identical to what the harbormaster suggested. But the university presented a T-shaped perpendicular design that juts out from that starting point on shore well more than 150 feet into the river, at odds with the harbormaster’s recommendation.
Delage said the alteration was designed to point out the necessary depth that would be required for docking their research vessel.
Although Delage said “there is no physical map or design to represent” the harbormaster’s alternative, the university’s application does include a reconfigured drawing of the harbormaster’s alternative.
Delage says the university was first made aware of the harbormaster’s alternative during an informal meeting at City Hall in October 2023.
That meeting was attended by City Manager James Bennett, Harbormaster Paul Lariviere, UNE President James Hebert and John Schafer, chair of the Biddeford Harbor Commission.
“This was a verbal conversation,” Delage said. “The harbormaster never provided us with a physical alternative design.”
Based on the verbal feedback, Delage says the university then created a diagram of a pier in the location suggested by the Harbormaster to show what a pier would look like if it were designed to reach sufficiently deep water.
“With the assistance of the marine engineers, UNE understood that a pier hugging the shoreline would not reach deep enough water,” Delage said.
Lariviere disputes the claim regarding low tide depth, pointing out that he and several others conducted rigorous depth surveys in that location.
Furthermore, If the university were to adopt the harbormaster’s alternative, Delage said such a pier would have “to be about twice the size” of the alternate design that Schafer shared with the media.
Delage said the alternative plan would be more disruptive to the harbor and unable to accommodate both the university’s research vessel and the city’s fireboat.
“The bathymetric survey information relied on by the engineers to establish water depths comes from work done by Statewide Surveys in 2015,” Delage said.
Delage added that the shoreline elevations are further “corroborated by low-tide aerial imagery available from Maine Office of GIS and an additional imagery service used by GEI (Nearmap), which depict an intertidal zone along the shore, and the low-water location in close agreement with the location identified by on-the-ground land survey.”
Delage said the university’s research was summarily rejected by the harbormaster during another informal meeting at City Hall in January. She said that UNE’s design team and other staff, the city manager, City Councilor William Emhiser and Lariviere and Schafer all attended that meeting.
The cart before the horse?
Even before the regulatory review process has started, the university sought and received commitments of federal funding to help pay for the construction costs.
The university and city manager say that both Lariviere and Schaeffer should not have been making public comments about the proposed pier before the plan was even formally submitted.
Delage said there was a joint meeting of the Harbor Commission and the Shellfish Conservation Commission in February that was not publicly noticed.
“There was no agenda published, and no minutes are obtainable from the city’s website,” Delage said.
In addition to the lack of public notice, Delage says the university did not receive any notice of this meeting, despite the fact that their pier proposal would be discussed.
“Again, UNE has never received a drawing of any kind from the harbormaster specifying his preferred design and location,” Delage said.
Delage says that Schafer, chair of the city’s Harbor Commission, sent email messages to multiple people, including city councilors, indicating that he agreed with the harbor master.
Those actions are the basis of why Lariviere was removed from the review process, according to City Manager James Bennett and City Attorney Harry Center.
The Harbor Commission is the body to whom an applicant must appeal any adverse decision by the harbormaster, Center explained. “You simply cannot present yourself as able to review an application if you have already publicly stated an opinion about that application,” Center added.
“It is my professional opinion that the city would be unable to defend itself in a court hearing if the applicant decides to appeal a decision that was pre-determined before the application was submitted,” Center said.
Schafer said all meetings of the Harbor Commission are open to the public. He also said he rigorously prepares meeting agendas before each meeting and also provides minutes of every meeting to a long list of people at City Hall, including City Clerk Robin Patterson, the designated staff liaison for the Harbor Commission.
Schafer provided Saco Bay News with copies of emails he distributed before and after the joint Feb. 21 meeting with the Shellfish Commission.
“I specifically sent the detailed minutes of that meeting to a whole bunch of people,” Schafer said. “I am a strong supporter of open and transparent government. When I heard that UNE might be considering litigation against the city, I made it my mission to relay what our commission heard from the harbormaster at the Feb. 21 meeting.”
Schafer said every monthly meeting of the Biddeford Harbor Commission includes a standing agenda item entitled “Harbormaster Summary.”
“I had no idea what Paul [Lariviere] was going to say ahead of time,” Schafer said. “But I sure as heck made sure that everyone knew what he said during that meeting. We have never had a meeting without an agenda or detailed minutes.”
According to the meeting minutes that Schafer shared with Mayor Marty Grohman, all members of the city council, Police Chief JoAnn Fisk and the city clerk, Lariviere said he would not be able to approve UNE’s proposal simply because it did not conform to existing regulations.
“Yes, people have asked me questions and my opinion about the university’s plan,” Lariviere said. “There has been a lot of talk about this pier dating back to 2008. People have questions. I have been consistent with my response.”
During a prior interview with Saco Bay News, Alan Thibault, vice president of operations at UNE, said the university’s pier design was included in a master plan that was approved by the Biddeford Planning Board several years ago.
Delage says the university is only asking to have its proposal reviewed fairly and objectively, like any other applicant that goes to the city for an approval.
“No member of the community should have to be concerned that their applications would be rejected in advance,” Delage said.
If the harbor commission has already stated a position, any appeals by the university could be considered futile acts, Delage said.
“In my opinion, a lot of errors have been made,” Schafer said. “But I think it is absolutely critical to remind everyone that no one – – no one – has said that UNE cannot or should not have a new pier. This entire conversation is about where that new pier should be located. That’s it.”
Tensions about a proposed pier that the University of New England wants to construct on the Saco River prompted Biddeford City Manager James Bennett to remove the city’s harbormaster from the review process of UNE’s proposed pier.
The pending application from UNE has also prompted a former city councilor to raise his own concerns, demanding that the university addresses a “landfill with 23 buried cars” on the school’s campus near the Saco River.
In his May 22 letter to Harbormaster Paul Lariviere, Bennett said the harbormaster has been biased in his review of UNE’s proposal as evidenced by “several” public comments he has made outlining his steadfast objections to the project.
“These comments and other actions have raised the issue regarding your ability to perform your duties objectively,” Bennett wrote in his email to the harbormaster. “It is my conclusion that allowing you to be the administrative hearing officer on the anticipated application would be a mistake.”
Bennett has also removed the assistant harbormaster, Randy Desmaris, from the review process because he was “trained by” Lariviere.
“I am striving for complete fairness, Bennett told Saco Bay News, and I have to err on the side of abundant caution to protect the city, its representatives, residents and the applicant. My goal in all of this is to protect everyone and to ensure the fairest possible review of the application.”
Bennett says he will choose and appoint a special ‘Harbormaster Pro Tem’ for the sole purpose of hearing and deciding on the anticipated application from the university.
According to Alan Thibeault, vice president of operations at the University of New England (UNE), the university is expecting to submit its application directly to the city manager’s office within “the next few days.”
Thiebeault said the proposed pier, which would be located near the university’s Marine Sciences Center, is not something that was recently envisioned.
“This project has been discussed in various aspects for more than a decade,” Thibeault said, pointing out that the pier was part of the university’s master plan, which was first approved by the Biddeford Planning Board in 2008.
Thibeault described the proposed pier as a “vital part to our ongoing marine research program.” He said the university has spent several years rigorously evaluating at least nine different sites for the location of the new pier.
Before UNE can submit approval applications to any other agencies, the project must first be approved by the city’s harbormaster. Although approvals from the planning board, the state and even the federal government will be required, nothing can happen until the harbormaster grants approval.
Lariviere said his objections to the pier are based solely on well-established review criteria when a project could impact navigation, fishing or fowling in a federal channel. Lariviere says he developed an alternative plan for UNE’s pier, but says UNE has “made up its mind.”
At the base of his objections, Lariviere said UNE’s proposal would “encroach on existing moorings.”
Thibeault said he was aware of the harbormaster’s misgivings about the pier, but also said the university was “never presented with any objections or alternatives in writing” from the harbormaster.
Lariviere said he was deeply disappointed by Bennett’s decision and is especially irked by the city manager’s directive, which orders Lariviere “to make no further comments in this regard, public or private.”
Lariviere issued his own press release, and said he will not comply with Bennett’s “unconstitutional order.”
“Did either the mayor, the city attorney or any city councilor authorize the manager to order a Biddeford resident to keep his mouth shut about public business?” Lariviere asked.
Although he is still officially the city’s harbormaster, Lariviere described Bennett’s move as a “purge” on behalf of the university.
“I know Mr. Bennett is working hard for UNE, “Lariviere said. “But now that he’s executed his purge, who will look out for the people of Biddeford?”
Lariviere said he has been aware of UNE’s desire to have a pier on the Saco River since the idea was first discussed several years ago, but says for the time being he will make no further comment about the university’s plans.
“I do plan to be in touch with the mayor and the city council about Mr. Bennett’s attempt to intimidate me,” he said.
Asked what his next move will be, Lariviere shrugged his shoulders and said, “Right now, I don’t know.”
During a telephone interview Wednesday morning, Bennett defended his decision and said he had little choice in the matter. He stressed that the city could not afford even the appearance of impropriety. Bennett also said his removal of Lariviere was “not a disciplinary action, but rather a proactive move to make sure “that all persons, including the applicant, are treated fairly.”
What to do about an old landfill?
Meanwhile, UNE is now facing increasing pressure from a former Biddeford city councilor to address what he claims is a “former landfill with 23 buried automobiles” on the banks of Saco River.
Pieces of buried automobiles can be seen protruding from the shore along the Saco River, just below a parking lot at the University of New England in Biddeford. (Seaver photo)
Kyle Noble, a longtime Hills Beach resident and former city councilor, says the university should take “immediate steps” to remedy that site before any other pier proposals are considered for approval.
Earlier this year, Noble contacted the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to voice his concerns about the site where automobile tires, automotive fenders and other metallic pieces of scrap can be seen protruding from the ground below a parking lot.
According to both Noble and Thibeault, a representative from the DEP came to Biddeford earlier this year to inspect the area where it is obvious that scrap materials were used for fill decades ago.
Both Noble and Thibeault participated in the site walk, and both men say that the site walk did not seem to trigger any significant concerns by the DEP.
As of press time, representatives from the Maine DEP were unavailable for comment.
Thibeault says the university is not ignoring nor trying to “cover up anything about something that happened many, many years ago.”
In fact, Thibeault says the school is actively in the process of developing a remediation effort that will include creating a natural barrier between the landfill and the marshy area of the river bank.
“Frankly, I’m a bit perplexed by Mr. Noble’s press release,” Thibeault said. “He was with us during the site walk with the DEP. I think the timing of his press release is a bit questionable.”
But Noble said he sees the upcoming application for UNE’s new pier as an ideal time to address something that has been ignored for a long time.
“Given the university’s prominent role in trumpeting its own dedication to protecting the Saco River, I would like to respectfully suggest that UNE delay no longer and work diligently to remove the 23 cars that are buried just feet from the Saco River,” Noble wrote in a letter he sent this week to UNE president James Herbert.
Noble said he is not interested in retroactive fines or punishment, but wants to ensure that UNE will live up to its self-described status as a champion of the environment.
“I’ve held my tongue long enough waiting for the correct response,” Noble said. “Now I feel an obligation to let the people of Biddeford know about this. It’s been kept a secret too long.”
Noble said the cars were buried in a “makeshift landfill, unknown to almost all Biddeford residents, is near the town landing and owned by Biddeford citizens.”
Lariviere said he personally witnessed some cars being buried near the spot in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.
“I’m not too concerned about the buried cars,” the harbormaster said. “But I am concerned that we observed pools of oil sheen on the water near that site during heavy rainfall events.”
Thibeault said the DEP has found no evidence of leaching materials, and said the agency did not consider the site to be a landfill. He did acknowledge that some erosion has occurred over the years, but stressed that any direct remediation effort could negatively impact the surrounding area.
“We can’t just go in and start digging up debris,” Thibeault said. “We are taking a more comprehensive approach, and we’ll be working closely with the DEP, the Saco River Corridor Commission and possibly the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to address and remedy this issue.”
Town Versus Gown?
Biddeford Mayor Marty Grohman said he supported the city manager’s decision. “It’s not something that any of us are thrilled about,” Grohman said. “But we have to ensure that everyone is treated the same, that everyone can get a fair hearing.”
Grohman acknowledged past tensions between the city and the university, saying many of the same tensions can be found in communities with college campuses, including Colby College in Waterville and Bates College in Lewiston.
“I think we have come a long way over the past few years,” Grohman said. “From where I sit, it appears me that the university is more than willing to work with us. We all know that relationship has not always been smooth, but I am reasonably confident that we can work together.”
Thibeault agreed with Grohman.
“We want to be an active and engaged neighbor in this community,” Thibeault said. “The university is absolutely committed to working with the city to address any concerns or issues. In my time here, I have seen tremendous progress over the last 30 years.”
For his part, Lariviere said he felt pushed by Bennett to approve UNE’s proposed pier.
“He called me on my cell phone after one of our meetings with UNE and asked ‘is there any way we can make this thing work?”
Bennett adamantly denies ever saying that or applying any pressure whatsoever for an approval from the harbormaster.
“I did remind him of his statutory duties and requirements, which are the same requirements that I have to follow as a city representative,” Bennett said.
Bennett said before making his decision he consulted the city’s attorney and extensively reviewed court cases in which municipalities lost legal battles because of allegations regarding bias and unfair treatment toward an applicant.
“My job is not always easy or pleasant,” Bennett said. “But it is my job to protect the city and to make that every member of our staff acts in full accordance with all federal, state and local regulations and ordinances. It’s not personal.”
After more than 12 years, I have finally gotten around to publishing an update about who I consider to be the most influential politicians, policy makers and staffers in the Biddeford-Saco area. The Top-20.
This list is a bit different from my original 2012 list. Most notably, I have shortened the list from 25 names in 2012 to our current list of the top-20 movers and shakers.
Several people on this list are not elected officials or perennial candidates. Some of these folks work behind the scenes, but they all have a noticeable impact on public policy.
With just one notable exception, this list does NOT include any candidates who are hoping to be on the November ballot. Not including those folks does alter the rankings, but I was striving for fairness.
Speaking of fairness, let’s get something clear right now before we proceed any further. The criteria I used did NOT include gender, age, sexual orientation or race considerations, in any way, shape or form.
Some of the names on this list may surprise you. You may not like everyone on this list. In fact, I don’t like everyone on this list. This LIST is NOT about who are the coolest and most likable people in northern York County.
20.) Dominic “Alliteration is Cool” Deschambault
Dom Deschambault/Facebook
Dom Deschambault leads off this year’s list, but probably not for the reasons you might imagine. Sure, his mother, Susan, is a former state senator, city councilor and a one-time mayoral candidate, but Dom is making a name for himself beyond his family heritage.
Deschambault is one of the few people on the list who is able to seamlessly align with both the old and new Biddeford. A former BHS football player, Dom is a vicious defender of Tiger Pride, but he’s also just as comfortable hanging around a growing demographic of downtown hipsters. He lives in a converted downtown mill building and enjoys hanging out at places like Sacred Profane.
Dominic is a relatively young guy, but he’s already served on the Biddeford School Committee and on the Biddeford Housing Authority. The only thing really holding him back is the fact that he tends to wear his heart on his sleeve. He can be a bit thin-skinned and sometimes reacts just a bit too quickly. But if he can grow a thicker skin (likely) then there will be little stopping him from having even more influence in his hometown in the very near future. Basically, he’s someone to watch.
19.) James “I need to hire more assistants” Bennett
Jim Bennett/City of Biddeford
I’ll bet dollars to doughnuts that you didn’t see this one coming. Although I have several concerns about his management style, there is little doubt that Biddeford City Manager Jim Bennett has a big influence on local public policy, at least on this side of the Saco River where he runs city hall with an iron fist. His reputation and condescending attitude have not helped Biddeford form a stronger alliance with our neighbors in Saco, but few people in Maine better understand municipal budgets or tax-increment financing than Bennett.
In fact, just a few weeks ago I was speaking with someone who lived in Old Orchard Beach a few decades ago when Bennett was then the town manager in that community. “Jim Bennett literally saved our town,” this person told me. “We were on the brink of receivership, and Jim Bennett was the main factor in putting us back on course and getting us back into good financial standing.”
Jim Bennett is smart. He’s also cunning and a bit arrogant, but undeniably smart. That’s why Jim Bennett is on this year’s list. If you disagree with him, he’ll just tell you that you don’t understand the situation. Remember, I told you that this is not a popularity contest.
18.) Jeanne “Ticket To Ride” Saunders
Saunders/Seaver photo
I had the pleasure of meeting Jeanne Saunders last year during an interview I was writing for Saco Bay News. Saunders lives in Saco, and although she is retired, she still spends an average of 40 hours weekly in advocating for senior citizens in the Biddeford-Saco region.
Saunders is leveraging her career in nursing and public health policy to successfully fight for seniors. In addition to being the Program Coordinator of Age Friendly Saco, Saunders also serves on the board of directors for the Biddeford-Saco-OOB Transit system.
In 2018, Saunders was awarded the Midge Vreeland Public Service Award by the Maine Public Relations Council for her work in assisting seniors in Saco. More recently, in 2022, she was named as the recipient of AARP’s Andrus Award, which recognizes and honors individuals who make a difference in the lives of others.
Jeanne Saunders is not afraid to bend the ears of local politicians. She is a tireless advocate, but is also widely respected as a person who is reasonable and knows how to get things done.
17.) Jim “I’ve Got Some Time on My Hands” Godbout
Godbout/Godbout Plumbing
Who doesn’t like Jim Godbout? Anyone? [Crickets]. As I said previously, this is not a popularity contest, but being well-liked, well-known, much-admired and almost universally respected sure doesn’t hurt when it comes to pushing levers in the sphere of local policy and politics.
A hometown boy who graduated from Thornton Academy in 1981, Godbout has built a successful plumbing and heating business on the bedrock principles of hard work and customer service. But what makes him somewhat extraordinary is his seemingly never-ending willingness to help his community.
If something needs to get done, whether revitalizing Waterhouse Field or leading the way in the renovation of the former St. Andre church for a planned teen center, Godbout is always raising his hand and the first to volunteer. He also excels in knowing how to get other people involved in community projects.
They literally named a street in Biddeford after this guy. The one and only thing I don’t like about Godbout is that his constant smile, tremendous work ethic and willingness to volunteer makes the rest of us look lazy and selfish.
And in the unlikely event you need another reason to admire Godbout, he is one of the most unassuming people you will ever meet. Unlike so many others on this list, he never frets about publicity. He expects nothing in return. He is not about self-promotion. Instead, he’s just a good guy doing good things. If you’re running for office, an endorsement from Godbout is as good as gold in your pocket.
16.) Mark “Let Me Make You a Sandwich” Johnston
Johnston/Seaver photo
Mark is one of the few people who remain from those listed more than a decade ago. In 2012, I dubbed him as the Number One political/policy person in the Biddeford-Saco area. Although he has slipped quite a bit in his rankings, he is still someone who can influence and shape public policy.
In 2012, I wrote this about the former mayor of Saco:
He can play nice or he can play mean. He’s polite. He’ll let you decide how you want to proceed before he tells you what you are actually going to do.
“Mark Johnston is the consummate politician . . . He’s Bugsy Seigel, Charlie Luciano and Meyer Lansky all rolled into one affable, near-sighted man with an uncanny resemblance to Sir Elton John.”
Local and state politicians still seek Johnston’s counsel, and that’s why he remains on this list.
Truth be known, Mark reached out to me a few weeks ago and suggested that the real influencers, movers and shakers in the area’s political realm are the dozens and dozens of men and women who sacrifice their time and energy by serving on local boards, commissions and committees, such as the Zoning Board of Appeals, the Harbor Commission or the Planning Board. Those people, Johnston explained, are the ones who make it possible for our communities to operate.
I agree with him.
15.) Roger “I Used to Have a Badge” Beaupre
Beaupre/Campaign photo
Yet again, we have another holdover from the 2012 list. Beaupre has actually moved up a few notches from his Number 19 ranking in 2012. Maybe that has something to do with the fact that he is no longer the Biddeford Police Chief and is now serving in a seat he has long wanted to hold, a member of the Biddeford City Council.
During the November 2023 campaign, I had serious doubts about whether Beaupre could cash in decades of service to the community for political support.
Beaupre won the Ward Three council seat in a close contest against a rather savvy and energetic politician. The Ward Three seat was the only contested ward seat on the council. (Three people, however, did vie for the two at-large seats on the council. The two incumbents easily won.)
But back to Beaupre. He has been on the council for fewer than six months, but he is already making a name for himself and watching the budget process like a hawk watching a field mouse.
But what makes Beaupre more influential than many other members of the council? Simply because Beaupre is pretty much all that remains from a once very powerful and influential block of voters: Older White Guys with a Franco-American ancestry that can be traced back 14 generations to whatever old country they came from.
Yes, Councilor Marc Lessard could certainly beat that same drum, but Beaupre is a bit less predictable than someone like Lessard. He is stealth, measured. Lessard is certainly smart, but he has almost resigned himself to the lonely place of being a fiscal conservative on the council. I’m curious, and I’m watching Beaupre closely. I think he has yet to show us his true potential as a politician.
14.) Roxi “May I see Your Tickets” Suger
Suger/Facebook
This is a tough one because I don’t really know much about Roxi beyond what I have heard from other people in the community or read on her website. Her partner, Julian Schlaver, serves on the Biddeford City Council, but word on the street says that Roxi wears the proverbial pants in that relationship.
While Schlaver is often quiet, calculating and demure, Roxi is somewhat the polar opposite: outgoing, ambitious and tenacious, especially when it comes to helping less fortunate members of our community.
Roxi is sort of a fundraising genius. Perhaps best known for being the lead organizer of the annual Biddeford Ball, a charity fashion event that raises money for the creation of new city parks and other worthwhile goals.
She is a fashion designer and the owner of Suger, a sustainable clothing manufacturer.
On her website, Roxi describes herself as: (Her words) “Open-hearted and gentle, clever and curious, a beautiful and powerful mix of passion, humility, and originality.”
Humility? Really? Her website continues: “Roxi Suger is the soul and spirit behind the brand of Angelrox. Dedicated to making a difference in both life and business, to spreading the joy and peace that so organically flows from her to the sweet angels she encounters, she delights in connecting with others to care, share, hope, and give.”
Who the hell is writing her website content? But hey, she is doing some pretty cool stuff for her community; and that’s more than a lot of people can say about themselves, including yours truly.
13.) Linda “Let me check with Justin” Valentino
Valentino/File
Former State Senator Linda Valentino of Saco may no longer be serving in elected office, but she is still very much connected to her hometown’s political infrastructure.
In 2012, I described Valentino as follows: “Linda is a thinker who doesn’t threaten those who don’t think much. Translated: she is very good at making people feel good about themselves. She also has a knack for knowing when it’s time to take the gloves off. If you don’t believe me, just ask [former mayor] Don Pilon.
She has slipped just a tad from her Number 8 ranking in 2012, but she is still a political force to be reckoned with, strategically connected to everyone who matters in Saco (It’s a short list).
12.) Alan “It’s Time for A Nap” Casavant
Casavant/Seaver photo
Alan has been involved in local politics longer than anyone else on this year’s list. First elected to the Biddeford City Council in the mid-1970s, Casavant also served four terms in the Maine House of Representatives.
Casavant also became the second-longest serving mayor of Biddeford. Casavant held the mayor’s seat by winning six consecutive elections over a 12-year period. Only Louis “Papa” Lausier served longer, a total of 14 years between 1941 and 1955.
Alan and I have known each other for a while. I was his campaign manager when he first decided to run for the mayor’s seat in 2011. He could have easily won without me. He was well-liked and respected, and the city was more than ready for a change.
Casavant made good on his campaign promise of restoring dignity and professionalism in City Hall. He steered the city through a period of turmoil, when a collection of malcontents decided to exploit the tragic and awful issue of alleged sexual abuse by two former police officers for their own political gain.
Casavant proved time after time that he was much tougher and resilient than he appeared. When most voters wanted to approve a racino, Casavant said he would not support the idea. He still won by a huge margin over the incumbent who supported the idea of a racino in Biddeford.
Casavant gladly and enthusiastically took over the torch of revitalizing downtown Biddeford. While he faced strong opposition for his support of a paid-parking garage on Peal Street, he recently said he that he stands “110 percent” behind the development and construction of that garage.
In fact, Casavant says the city could use a second parking garage, located a bit closer to the city’s core. Alan left office on a high note. But it was time for a fresh voice and a new set of eyes. You could literally see the relief in Casavant’s eyes during his last city council meeting.
Now Casavant gets to finally enjoy his well-deserved retirement, but he still offers his guidance and counsel to Mayor Marty Grohman and many others who want to be involved in local politics. In 2012, I ranked him as Number 4. The only reason he slipped a few notches, is because he no longer has to tolerate outrageous Facebook inquiries and criticisms.
Does he still have influence? Well, does Jim Bennett (No. 19) still have a job? Yes, and that’s primarily because Alan Casavant is one the very few people in his corner.
11.) Vassie “Let’s Get it Done” Fowler
Fowler/Saco Bay News
If you listen to my wife, she will tell you that I waited to publish this list until Vassie was out of the country and unable to beat the crap out of me for putting her name on this list.
Vassie is the executive director of the Seeds of Hope Neighborhood Resource Center in Biddeford. She is a powerful (and effective) advocate for the region’s unhoused population.
Truth be known, Fowler is also a powerful (and effective) voice for just about anything she decides to tackle. Sure, she doesn’t hold public office now, but she is super connected behind the scenes.
For many years, she and her husband Jack were featured as Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus for Biddeford’s Downtown Holiday celebration. She also served on several boards and commissions, including the Joyful Harvest Neighborhood Center, Toys for Tots in Northern York County and she was elected to serve on the Biddeford School Committee.
A few years ago, she and her husband were given a key to the city in recognition for their long and countless contributions to the community. Sure, Vassie is sassy, but she also knows the players and how to get things done.
And now, for the Top-10 political movers and shakers in Biddeford and Saco . . .
10.) Tim “I Have a Plan” Harrington
Harrington/Jim Neuger, MaineBiz
If there’s one name often associated with the city of Biddeford’s ongoing renaissance, real estate developer Tim Harrington would be near the top of that list.
Harrington is a true visionary and willing to take some serious risks to make a plan work. In fact, one of his recent projects has become the focal point for Biddeford’s rebounding brand as a destination: a downtown luxury resort hotel that features a roof-top swimming pool on what was not long ago a crumbling, neglected and vacant former mill building.
Now finished with that stunning project, Harrington today is knee-deep in redeveloping a languishing and mostly vacant shopping center into a family-oriented, indoor-recreation complex.
Harrington is more than just a visionary with good luck. He is always considerate of the community that surrounds him. He does not seek the limelight, and places immense value on collaboration.
In summary, Harrington is not much different than another well-known real estate developer, Mike Eon. Like Harrington, Eon prefers the background, not the limelight; and both men sincerely care about community input and perception. So why is Harrington on this list and Eon is not?
To put it simply, I have a gut feeling that we will be seeing much more coming from Harrinton over the next few years. While Eon still has loads of potential, I think he might be enjoying a slower pace these days. Who knows? Just my gut,
9.) Delilah “Can You Help Us” Poupore
Poupore/LinkedIn
In case you have been sleeping under a rock for the last 15 years, Delilah Poupore is the executive director of the Heart of Biddeford, a non-profit organization with a mission to stimulate the downtown economy and improve community activity and connections within the city’s core.
Delilah is another one of those people who seems to be (strangely) always smiling. She has developed a proven track record of working closely with city officials to make things happen. She is also very keen on collaboration, working quite closely with the Biddeford-Saco Chamber of Commerce and Industry, as well as the Heat of Biddeford’s sister organization across the river, Saco Spirit.
Delilah avoids the spotlight, but she does not hesitate to step up to the podium when seeking assistance or approval for a community event.
She is a well-respected member of the business community and accordingly is often approached by political candidates seeking her advice. She has more than earned her spot in the Top-10.
8.) Michael “Aww shucks” Cantara
Cantara/Seaver photo
Former judge, district attorney and mayor Michael Cantara remains as the only person on this list to remain in the Top-10 of our rankings. In 2012, I ranked him at Number Five. He has moved only a few spots down the list and that’s just because he decided to retire from the bench.
When mayoral candidate Susan Deschambault’s team was looking for key endorsements, they naturally called on Cantara. The former judge was one of many leaders in the state Democratic Party who openly endorsed Deschambault’s campaign in an advertisement that included state senators and people like Justin Alfond.
That ad was literally, the bat signal for Democrats in a supposedly non-partisan election. If you vote blue, you better vote for Sue. (No, those were not the words used in the ad, but they should have been.) That’s what they get for not having me run that campaign. You see, I actually have a winning track record.
All that aside, Mr. Cantara, unlike me, is a true gentleman. He is kind, thoughtful and extraordinarily intelligent.
Despite Deschambault’s loss, Cantara’s name is still very much respected all over the state. For good reason.
7.) Justin “Do You Like This Picture of Me?” Chenette
Chenette/Sweetser
When it comes to shameless self-promotion and spotlight grabbing, no one in southern Maine does it better than former State Senator Justin Chenette of Saco.
Chenette is currently serving as a member of the York County Commissioners. Until he was elected, almost nobody in York County knew that there was such a thing as the York County Commissioners.
If Chenette ever stubs his toe on his way to the Hannaford supermarket, you can be assured that he will submit a press release about it, along with a complimentary photo of his smiling face.
Today, Chenette serves as the public relations point person for Sweetser, one of Maine’s oldest and largest providers of mental health services. For reasons I cannot explain, every press release about Sweetser seems to include a photo of Chenette.
As much as this kid grates on my nerves, you simply cannot deny that he is very skilled at political gamesmanship. I don’t have to worry if Justin will no longer return my calls just because I publicly criticized him. Justin likes reporters more than I like pineapple on my pizza. Delicious!
6.) Jodi “Can I Put a Sign on Yor Lawn?” MacPhail
MacPhail/City of Saco
Well, here’s something new and something I would have never imagined 12 years ago: One of my relatives is on this list.
Truth be known, the new mayor of Saco and I are only related through her mother’s marriage to my father several years ago. We didn’t grow up together or anything, but I can tell you stories about her when she was 12 years-old that would curl your toes. Just kidding. Not Kidding. Whatever.
A few months ago, Jodi made history by becoming the first female mayor in Saco. In fact, she was unopposed for the seat.
A few years ago, when she first told me that she was thinking about running for the city council, my response was immediate and definite: “Don’t do it,” I advised. “You’d be walking into certain death.”
Secretly, I had my doubts about whether Jodi was up for the task. I didn’t take her seriously. I was wrong. Very wrong.
Jodi has already delivered on one of her key campaign platforms: to provide a better connection between Saco City Hall and residents. She holds open office hours, an idea that Biddeford Mayor Marty Grohman described as “intriguing.”
It’s only been a few months since she won her election, but I think she’s doing a pretty good job, and I think it’s because she genuinely loves doing it.
Besides, it gets me off the hook of ever having to cover a city council meeting in Saco. Sweet!
5.) Kevin “Please Don’t Take My Picture” Roche
Kevin Roche recently won an election to the Saco School Board, but he is perhaps best known for his work as president of the “S.O.S: Save Our Shores organization in the Camp Ellis neighborhood.
I don’t really know much about Kevin. But I can tell you that he is not tall, he loves hockey and knows the pulse of his community. What he lacks in height, he compensates with intelligence and wit.
He is a quiet, thoughtful guy, which leads me to think his political future will be somewhat limited.
Roche knows how to maneuver, whether its dealing with a behemoth bureaucracy like the U.S. Army Corps or Engineers or how to get the best seat on the Green Line at the Kenmore Square station.
He is pretty much the opposite of Justin Chenette (No. 7). It’s hard to find a photo of Roche in any of the usual places. He is a bit cagey, and I like that.
4.) Marty “I’m in Your Corner” Grohman
Grohman/Campaign photo
Marty Grohman seems to still be settling into his new role as the mayor of Biddeford. It’s understandable. It feels like the city of Biddeford is still trying to get comfortable with the fact that Alan Casavant (No. 12) is no longer the mayor.
Sort of like a second date. Should I make my move?
Grohman is a nice enough guy, maybe just a little too nice. He runs city council meetings like he’s in Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. At any given moment, I’m half expecting King Friday, Henerietta Pussycat or Daniel Tiger to jump up from behind the council dais.
Grohman is a bit over the top and reliably effusive with his praise and compliments. You found a seat? Good for you! Nice job! We certainly appreciate you being here tonight! We can hardly wait to see if you have something to share! Gracias! Merci! We’re a super diverse bunch of folks, and we’re mighty excited about sustainability here in the Land of Make Believe.
Grohman has been criticized by many folks who see him as not much more than a political opportunist, invariably in search of another campaign or photo-op. Despite all that, Marty is actually the real deal.
While many politicians bloviate about climate change and sustainability for political points, Marty actually rides a bike to work. Even when it’s raining. Basically, he puts his money where his mouth is.
But why is the mayor of Biddeford ranked higher on this list than the new mayor of Saco? Is it sexism? No.
It’s because Marty also has statewide connections, having served in the Maine House of Representatives. On the flip side of that coin, Marty is the walking, talking definition of “when smart people do dumb things,” like taking on entrenched Congresswoman Chellie Pingree. Marty has potential and a good Rolodex. Keep your eyes on him.
3.) Liam “Does this tie match?” LaFountain
LaFountain/Seaver photo
Speaking of keeping an eye on someone, I advised Saco Bay News readers earlier this year to keep a close eye on this rising political star.
Liam LaFountain is the youngest member of the Biddeford City Council and is just beginning his second term. Despite his age and limited tenure on the council, his council peers voted overwhelmingly in support of his plan to become the next council president.
When asked my thoughts before making his move, I advised the young and eager city councilor to tread lightly and not make waves. I wrongly predicted he would get no more than two votes for his quest to oust long-time councilor Norman Belanger from the post.
Belanger never saw it coming. The move caught him by surprise. The vote was 6-3 among the nine councilors. Belanger was stunned. I was stunned. LaFountain just quietly picked up his laptop and moved to his new seat next to the mayor.
There is a back-story to that chain of events, but I’m not going to share that. At least not now.
LaFountain is from good family stock. His father Lloyd, an attorney, previously served on the council and also served as a member of the Maine State Senate for four terms. His grandfather, Lloyd, Sr., is also held in high regard throughout the city.
Liam, however, strikes me as a walking contradiction. He is young, a proverbial millennial. But he is careful, deliberate and respectful of his elders. Sure, he cares a lot about what people think about him, but he’s also confident and comfortable in his own skin.
Watching that council president vote was riveting, like watching a wolf chase and ultimately take down a fleeing doe. Circle of life, baby. Circle of life.
LaFountain is super committed to the job, going well out of his way to keep his constituents informed about almost everything happening at City Hall. When the city received complaints about dangerous traffic on May Street, LaFountain spent the better part of a week, knocking on neighbor’s doors to get their input and advice.
I expect big things from LaFountain; and I will never underestimate him again.
2.) Jeremy “Just Hear Me Out” Ray
Ray/LinkedIn
Of course, Jeremy Ray is high up on this list. His political influence straddles both sides of the Saco River.
In a brilliant move to both improve efficiency and save taxpayer dollars, Ray was appointed to be the superintendent of schools for both Biddeford and Saco.
Last year, Ray was named as Maine’s 2023 Superintendent of the Year. In their nomination of Ray, members of the Biddeford School Committee described Ray as a transparent, engaged, and highly visible leader. They went on to list several of his accomplishments, including hiring a Development Director to focus on private fundraising and grants to help bolster the taxpayer-infused bottom line; a 17 percent increase in the music and theater programs opportunities; and helping to establish a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Academy, “which has fueled the imagination and interests of many students.”
School superintendents across the state heap praise on Ray and his ability to get complex projects moving in the right direction.
Last year, Ray urged Biddeford voters to support a plan that would close the crumbling but much beloved JFK Memorial School by consolidating those students into an extended facility at the Biddeford Primary School.
The voters listened to Ray, and overwhelmingly approved his $9.5 million bond request. Jeremy Ray knows each and every elected official within 200 square miles of his office. Maybe a slight exaggeration, but you get the point. He has influence.
And now, drum roll please:
The Number One Position. Numero Uno on the list of the most influential politicians and policy wonks in the Biddeford Saco area . . .
If you’re a political junkie, you probably saw this coming from 10 miles away. Ladies and Gentlemen; boys and girls, I present to you, Ryan Fecteau.
Ryan Fecteau of Biddeford/Courtesy photo from Maine House of Representatives
There is absolutely no doubt about why Fecteau should be on this list. Twelve years ago, he was little more than a recent high school graduate with political ambition.
Today, he is once again running for office, building on an already impressive political legacy.
Ryan Fecteau served four terms in the Maine House of Representatives and was chosen by his peers to become Speaker of the House. He is the youngest person to ever serve in that position and the first openly-gay person to hold that office.
Because of Maine’s term limit laws, Ryan briefly left politics (wink, wink) to take a job within the Governor Mills Administration’s Office of Housing Policy.
That gig led him to become a senior vice president with Avesta Housing, one of New England’s largest housing providers.
A few months ago, Ryan and his partner Dylan purchased a new home, which is located in a different legislative district, but still in Biddeford.
When Democrat State Rep. Erin Sheehan announced earlier this year that she would be stepping down at the end of this term, the press release distributed to the media was more of an announcement that Fecteau would be seeking the seat, hoping for a triumphant return to Augusta.
You don’t get to become Speaker of the House by not knowing how to carefully break eggs and make deals across the aisle. Ryan accomplished all this before he was even old enough to serve as president of the United States . . . but I wouldn’t rule that out either.
A few weeks ago, the Biddeford City Council quietly approved Mayor Grohman’s appointment of Dylan Doughty (Fecteau’s partner) as an alternate member of the Biddeford Planning Board.
I’m sure that (wink, wink) Ryan had nothing to do with that appointment.
There is little doubt that Ryan will win his next election in November. He meets all the guidelines: he’s a registered Democrat with a pulse. The last time a Republican won that district was when Fred Flintstone was still working at the quarry.
That’s it, folks! More than 5,300 words. I look forward to your feedback; the good, the bad and the ugly. Have a great night!
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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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If you ask Alan Casavant to describe his time as Biddeford’s mayor, he’ll tell you he used the same basic approach that he used as a high school teacher for more than 35 years.
Casavant, 71, is now completely retired as both a teacher and politician. He served 12 years (six consecutive terms) as the city’s mayor, first elected to that position in 2011. He also served four terms in the Maine Legislature as a state representative and served on the Biddeford City Council for 18 years, first elected in 1975.
Alan Casavant/ Seaver photo
He was born and raised in Biddeford and graduated from Biddeford High School in 1970. Initially, he majored in psychology during his first two years of college at the University of Southern Maine, but during his junior year, he transferred to the University of Maine Orono and decided to study teaching.
As fate would have it, he was assigned to Biddeford High School in order to complete his student teaching requirement. He was then hired as a permanent substitute teacher and then became a full-time social studies teacher at his alma mater.
He also coached the Biddeford High School hockey team, leading the Tigers to a state championship and is remembered by many people as a formidable broom ball player.
Casavant became the city’s second-longest serving mayor. Only Louis “Papa” Lauzier served longer than Casavant, from 1941 to 1955 – a total of 14 years.
You didn’t want to break Mayor Lausier’s record? Just one more term?
(Laughs) “No. I never set out with the idea of serving as long as I did. In fact, I had pretty much decided that I was going to step down two years ago, but I had a friend who convinced me to serve just one more term, and it appealed to me because I felt like there was still some unfinished business to take care of.
“I’m 71 years old, and I had done it for 12 years. I don’t think anyone intended to have any one mayor serve that long, but the real trump card was losing the hearing in my left ear.”
You first ran for city council when you were just 23 years old, which means the bulk of your life has been serving the city of Biddeford as an elected leader. What drew you into local politics?
“I really enjoyed politics. The process and the players intrigued me. The psychology of it (Laughs). I enjoyed being part of the decision-making process, and having input. I used to tell my students – and it’s not to be taken egotistically – but I trusted me making the decisions more than I trusted anybody else. (Laughs)
“I felt, if I was on the outside looking in, I could give my view but that didn’t mean my viewpoint would resonate with the person I was talking to, whereas – actually being there I could listen but I could also be an active, very-active participant. I really enjoyed that.”
How has Biddeford’s political world changed over the last 50 years, going back to when you first ran for the council in the 1970s?
“It’s changed so much. I think people were more in tune with the political process back then; with what was happening at City Hall back in the ‘70s. You had little organizations all over the city, where politics were discussed, such as the Green Lantern Club on Green Street.
“There was more public input because people were more aware of what was going on back then. We had a daily paper covering everything happening in the city. The mayor was a much stronger position, but it was also more familiar. You didn’t have the nastiness, and I say that because I was always in the minority back then. There were three of us on the council in our 20s. It was always the majority against me, Dick Lambert and Billy Zuke. So many of the council votes were 8-3. It was more friendly. We would all go out together after the meetings for a bull session at Bull’s Café.”
What motivated you to run for mayor against an incumbent (Joanne Twomey) who was widely considered as basically unbeatable?
“The casino proposal that she was supporting concerned me, but it was much more about a philosophical and process difference. During that time period, too many people were watching council meetings as entertainment. The meetings were often bombastic and confrontational.
“I just thought that I could do a better job. I had retired from teaching, so I had the time. I just believed that a lot of people were ready for a change.”
Besides wanting to change the tone of how business was conducted during council meetings, what were your other priorities?
“Well certainly, the issues surrounding the Maine Energy [Recovery Company] plant loomed very large on my screen. I thought that had to be resolved because of what I had learned and come to believe. Not only was it an economic issue and an environmental issue, it was also a psychological issue. It was as if the city had given up on itself. We had become known as “Trash Town, U.S.A.” I knew that had to change.”
Why do you think public participation in local government has declined so much?
“I’m convinced that it’s a lack of knowledge. If you look back at the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s, everybody read the Journal Tribune and/or the Courier. Reporters back then would pursue the stories until the end. When David [Flood] sold the Courier and the Journal closed, there became a vacuum of legitimate news. I also think some people may feel jaded by the process because of the misinformation that abounds on social media like Facebook.”
What do you think was your greatest accomplishment as mayor?
“Recreating pride in Biddeford. It’s nothing really physical. It’s just people in Biddeford actually believe in themselves as a community again. It was as if the community had lost its mojo; the recession, the Maine Energy plant, downtown business closings – – the glass was always half empty.
“People now openly brag about living in Biddeford. I recently saw an ad from a Kennebunk hotel that pointed out they were located only five minutes from Biddeford.”
What was your biggest disappointment during your 12 years as mayor?
[Pauses] “Probably dealing with the housing issue. Trying to figure that out and recognizing that there is no easy answer. There’s no instant answer, especially since it’s a regional, statewide and even national issue.
“We really need a regional approach. There has to be a concerted effort, driven by the state.”
Do you miss being the mayor?
(Laughs) Yes and no. I can’t even watch the meetings right now. I miss the adrenaline rush of being right in the middle of everything. I don’t want to meddle, which is really difficult for me to do. (Laughs) It’s really hard to do something for 12 years and then just stop, suddenly being out of the loop and not knowing exactly what’s going on – – just stopping cold turkey. It’s a little strange.
“There is also relief. When I was mayor, I’d spend almost an hour every morning and every night responding to e-mails. Now I maybe get four e-mails a day.” (Laughs)
As a politician, do you see social media as helpful?
“I call it anti-social media. Most of it is very disparaging and accusatory. It took me about a week or two as mayor to decide that I wasn’t going to read most of it. Otherwise, I’d see things that I didn’t say or do, and it got so frustrating. It’s so often just a rumor mill.”
What do you see as challenges on Biddeford’s horizon?
“Well, obviously the housing issue is going to dominate our conversations for a long time, and we’ll need to tackle that situation; but we also are looking at lots of other major budgetary issues, including staffing. How do we retain and attract professional employees? People want services, but that cost money. You can’t have it all.
“I also worry that our economy is slowing a bit in the downtown. The downtown really defines who we are as a community, and it’s important for our overall economy.”
Your political adversaries blame you for pushing so hard for a municipal parking garage.
“The reality is that we actually need at least two parking garages. The next one needs to be near the corner of Main and Alfred streets. It’s interesting to me that in so many other cities, whether it’s Westbrook or Portland or Auburn, there is virtually no resistance to parking garages.”
You describe your role as mayor as simply an extension of your time as a high school teacher.
“It’s the same skill set and the same techniques. It was about repeating, repeating and repeating information so that the kids could get it; it was about connecting the dots so that they could understand it; and it was also about forming relationships and helping them feel good about themselves.
“It’s never just one person leading the city. You really need a team approach, it’s like a quilt with several different patches. It’s rewarding, sometimes frustrating but if you have the right people around you — if you can build a team with lots of different perspectives — then you can do almost anything.”
LESSONS IN MEDIOCRITY | OUTLAW JOURNALIST 