Lewiston City Council tension rises with more accusations of political maneuvering

LEWISTON — At this week’s City Council assembly, members of the general public urged councilors to ship a message to the group by voting unanimously on a decision that reaffirmed Lewiston’s dedication to fairness and variety work. After all, the council hadn’t been capable of agree on a lot currently, one particular person stated.

The council did so, however later within the assembly, a number of councilors learn written statements concerning the controversy that led to the decision being launched. They additionally repeated accusations aired earlier Tuesday that Mayor Carl Sheline beforehand requested a sitting Planning Board member to resign so he might make his personal appointment.

The tense backwards and forwards between elected officers highlights a seamless rift throughout the City Council stemming from points just like the shelter moratorium, wrangling over Planning Board appointments, and a draft decision associated to high school range applications that was made public by way of a Sun Journal Freedom of Access Act request.

The 4 councilors who’ve typically sided collectively on current points — Robert McCarthy, Rick Lachapelle, Larry Pease and Lee Clement — every learn statements condemning what they stated has been misinformation unfold about them by their fellow elected officers, and being “vilified” on social media and within the press.

While the earlier actions of the councilors prompted criticism and raised moral questions, they argued the mayor and fellow councilors are responsible of their very own political maneuvering. Both sides are claiming that the drama has sidetracked the town from conducting actual work.

During public remark Tuesday, former Planning Board Chairwoman Pauline Gudas stated she’d not too long ago discovered that longtime Planning Board member Roger Fuller was “asked to resign” by Sheline to ensure that the mayor to make his personal appointment.

Gudas stated there had been “so much conversation about ethics” within the metropolis currently, and that it’s “probably one of the most unethical things I’ve seen in city government.”

Sheline stated this week that he needed Fuller, who had an affiliate seat, to take a full member place, however that Fuller declined.

“Roger was a valued member of the Planning Board,” he stated. “Earlier this year, we had a conversation where I offered him a full member position on the board because I appreciate his perspective and service, but he declined.”

It’s unclear why it led to Fuller’s resignation. Reached Friday, Fuller declined to remark for this story.

The mayor has the facility to nominate affiliate members of the Planning Board with out council approval, however as a result of a current constitution change, the council should approve full members.

The City Council had beforehand blocked Sheline’s nomination of Leigh Albert to the total member position, and finally appointed Michael Marcotte to the seat. Marcotte’s appointment got here on the identical night time that councilors initially deliberate to introduce a draft decision relating to range applications for varsity workers. The council suspended the foundations to make the appointment, giving fellow councilors moments to contemplate the nomination, a tactic that was subsequently criticized.

Sheline appointed Albert to the affiliate seat vacated by Fuller. According to the City Clerk’s workplace, Fuller resigned Feb. 24, and Albert was appointed March 2.

Leading off a spherical of statements late Tuesday, Councilor Robert McCarthy stated he and a few of his fellow councilors “did not follow standard procedures” when making Marcotte’s appointment to the Planning Board, and because of this have been “vilified.”

He stated Sheline “colluded” with political occasion members to “remove a sitting board member.”

“Quite frankly I’ve had enough,” he stated. “We have real work to do here in Lewiston, and the unwarranted attacks on myself and some of my fellow councilors, along with all the pumped up charges in the media, has to end. I took ownership of my mistake, they need to own up to theirs.”

Councilors Clement and Lachapelle took the chance to answer the general public launch of their draft decision, and to what Clement stated has been “blatantly false and defamatory” feedback from Sheline and others.

Referring to the draft decision, Clement stated, “Nothing that occurred was illegal, unethical or wrong,” including that there was a “rush to label some councilor members as intolerant or racist.”

Lachapelle and Clement had been referring to a social media submit from Councilor Scott Harriman over the weekend that stated the pair had been “writing resolves to stop equity and diversity training in our schools,” which Lachapelle stated “is a flat out lie.”

The councilors’ draft decision stated Lewiston colleges seem like having discussions about “establishing curriculum” based mostly on concepts from organizations together with the Educators of Color Collective and Building Anti-Racist White Educators, and that the teams align with ideologies “that many believe are distilled from Critical Race Theory, the 1619 Project and similar things which contain radical thinking.”

School officers stated the applications are elective after-school affinity teams for lecturers which have been energetic for 2 years, and that they don’t seem to be half of curriculum constructing.

On Tuesday, Lachapelle repeated feedback he made to the Sun Journal explaining his challenge with the organizations, which facilities on the Educators of Color Collective program meant to assist Black, indigenous and other people of colour workers members solely.

“To characterize the draft resolution that Councilor Clement and I were working on as racist when in reality it is racism we are standing against is wrong,” he stated.

School officers have stated that Educators of Color Collective has helped the college district retain a more various workers, which is a precedence for Maine’s second most various district.

“From an employee wellness and retention perspective, we have found that educators of color often find themselves feeling a bit isolated, and like they have no one else to talk to because of their lived experience,” Superintendent Jake Langlais stated.

Clement questioned the decision that he voted to approve earlier within the assembly, stating, “Why are we resurrecting this dead horse? We need to stop these needless affirmation resolutions and move the city and its business forward.”

“Enough already, we’ve been chastised and belittled in the most condescending, pompous and arrogant manner by the current ceremonial head of city government, who himself, along with the backing of a city political committee, informed a sitting Planning Board member that he needed to resign so the mayor could appoint another person to that position,” Clement stated.

Sheline stated Friday that “some city councilors have spent significant time and city resources on divisive and unnecessary initiatives that have only reinforced Lewiston’s negative image,” and that residents want officers “to come to the table in good faith to get the job done.”

“We have a lot of work to do,” he stated.

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