Guest Editorial: A people’s history of the Armory 'debate' (Printed Feb. 22, 2008)
By Robert Lord
Special to the Sentry
It is no secret that a long-held dream of South Portland City Hall insiders is to be rid of the ancient and venerable building that has been their place of employment and, for decades, the heartbeat of the community. Some would have us believe it was built before the collapse of the Roman Empire, but more likely, it was constructed sometime around the landing of the Puritans at Plymouth Rock.
It is most unfortunate that our dedicated municipal employees must suffer the lack of companionship of colleagues banished to satellite locations nearby for lack of space in the main building, and are now forced to communicate with each other by e-mail or phone.
That this morale-dampening, lack-of-elbow-room inconvenience still exists in our proud city, even as smaller neighboring cities and towns construct beautiful, spacious and comfortable new town halls and municipal buildings all around us, begs the question of such economic disparity.
The answer to that query lies in the imprudent management of our financial affairs over the last two decades; and the apparent inability of disparate sensibilities to coalesce around proven governing practices that anticipate the reality of unforeseen consequences.
But, any attempt to improve the situation of city hall overcrowding at this time, by the method currently under review, in a period of pending economic uncertainty and unsustainable municipal funding levels, would be to ignore the consequentiality of reckless imprudence.
In the just concluded 2006/2007 fiscal year, the city of South Portland distributed nearly $15 million dollars in employee wages. It generously added nearly another $5 million in additional benefits. I suspect the city hall workforce might, in all probability, suffer gladly any inconvenience a while longer.
As for the city council, thwarted time and again by public outcries for fiscal constraint, on Sept. 7, 2005, underhandedly took it upon itself to be the “deciders” for the rest of us on the issue of reckless spending, and set in motion a furtive process that would eventually realize the prize for the supposed long-suffering managers and employees of whom I spoke. It would elevate their sense of worth and glee right up there with the municipal happy campers of Westbrook, Gorham, and Scarborough.
Let me point out here that my use of the words “city” and “council” are not intended to paint every member of that oft polarized body with the same brush. I, they, and most who pay any attention to South Portland politics, know full well who is whom, what each stands for and where the sleeping dogs lie. They are all good people with loving hearts.
However, the old state armory building and grounds had become available for the third time and, with the apparent plight of the city hall dwellers in mind, the council threw all due process to the wind in its attempt to “do the right thing” in the matter of taking care of their own.
They first swiftly and quietly plopped down $25,000 for an appraisal of the building, inspections, and legal fees. This, without public notice, a scintilla of information or consultation with their municipal stakeholders (we, the people) who are expected to cover the tab, along with (a supposed) zero indication as to the targeted building’s condition or projected use.
Then, as a perfunctory, face-saving afterthought on the hope-no-one-noticed issue of illegality, on Thursday evening, March 2, 2006, the public was belatedly invited to offer its after-the-fact insight as to the commonsensical logic of the council’s illicit slight of hand. The audience was more conspicuous for its absentee count (roughly 17,460) then the 40 assumed South Portland residents in attendance whom, among them, was a roundly-loaded and assertive group of municipal administrators, employees, family and friends that, not surprisingly, were unanimous in ballyhooing the need to acquire the aging monstrosity. That they were coyly reticent to suggest any specific use is understandable, under the circumstances.
The resulting anemic public discussion/head count was deemed favorable to the proponents, which gave them the green light to move forward with the quest for their prize.
In a celebratory mode, Mayor Maxine Beecher, matter-of-factly referring to the council in the Feb. 3, 2006 edition of the South Portland-Cape Elizabeth Sentry said, “I think we all think that the city should own the Armory.” But, at least for public consumption, the city council was inexplicitly mute as to any particular or favored future use.
This obvious attempt by the Council to cover its backside and temporarily skew the financial reality of its ultimate aim – a new city hall in the old Armory – was under way. The council, on March 2, 2006, submitted a bid of $650,000. On March 6, 2006, it was accepted by the Bankruptcy Court.
Once purchased, Mayor Beecher personally handpicked a group to explore the building’s possible uses. It was not exactly, as former City Manager Jeffrey Jordan had suggested prior to skipping town, a “Blue Ribbon” commission, i.e., “an independent and exclusive commission of non–partisan statesmen and experts formed to investigate some important governmental issue.”
It was anything but expert, statesmanlike, or non-partisan. Council member Kay Loring, not known for her tact or timidities under fire, and heavily slanted from the outset to reach the conclusion so stated, chaired it.
After a year-long period of meetings, suggestions, and so-called deliberations, Councilor Loring presented the group’s unanimous recommendation to the city council – the old armory would be best suited morphed into an all encompassing new city hall complex. Surprise! Surprise!
This recommendation was arrived at by at least eight members of the committee (a majority) who were either on the city payroll or had personal interests that would tend to render them partisan in favor of such a choice. To help ratchet up the favorability aspect of the location, a number of tempting suggested adjuncts had been presented to the committee as possible compatible uses under the same roof. A new main library with accessory uses, was mentioned. A possible arts and theater center, artist living/working spaces and non-profit cooperative spaces were described as possibilities. Such would obviously tend to favor a ‘yes’ vote from any number of those members listed below, not already prejudiced toward that end from day one. Among them were: Dennis C. Gilbert, a widely published writer who teaches autobiography and creative writing at the University of Southern Maine and other projects funded in part by the New England Foundation for the Arts; Jim Soule, council member, now mayor, and local businessman who, at a December 2006 armory committee meeting proclaimed, according to the minutes of the meeting: “The council is looking for a core group (advocates) to make the push for the building.”
Councilor Kay Loring is quoted as saying, “We shouldn’t worry about cost.” Jim Gaily, at that time, assistant city manager, was an obvious vote; Miles Haskell, deputy fire chief, whose boss continues to worry about security around the “public safety complex” is another; Amy Berry, deputy police chief, obvious vote; Linda Eastman, member of the City of South Portland Community Development Advisory Committee, ditto; Norman Lamothe, who, by bid, on April 20, 2005 purchased a piece of land from the city at 1396 Broadway, ditto; Linda Eastman, member of the City of South Portland Community Development Committee, ditto; Henrietta LaRou, in a committee meeting, was quoted as declaring that she is “thrilled that the city took over the building” and that, “rehab would be a piece of cake.” Lisa Kubiak, who reinforced the need for the city to make it the new municipal building – ditto; Betsy Ross, wife of Wayne H. Ross, of Maine Technical College wondered, “Should we bring in the neighbors?” – ditto.
After this lengthy “evaluation,” process the predictable result was to further burden the taxpayers with additional millions of dollars by morphing this dilapidated monstrosity into some semblance of a city hall.
And we became an oligarchy when?
Robert Lord is a South Portland resident with 35 years experience, covering, court, police, school boards, and municipal malfeasance, for the Boston Globe, Manchester Union Leader, as well as a former publisher of two Maine weeklies, the Eastern Gazette in Dexter and Moosehead Gazette in Greenville.
Special to the Sentry
It is no secret that a long-held dream of South Portland City Hall insiders is to be rid of the ancient and venerable building that has been their place of employment and, for decades, the heartbeat of the community. Some would have us believe it was built before the collapse of the Roman Empire, but more likely, it was constructed sometime around the landing of the Puritans at Plymouth Rock.
It is most unfortunate that our dedicated municipal employees must suffer the lack of companionship of colleagues banished to satellite locations nearby for lack of space in the main building, and are now forced to communicate with each other by e-mail or phone.
That this morale-dampening, lack-of-elbow-room inconvenience still exists in our proud city, even as smaller neighboring cities and towns construct beautiful, spacious and comfortable new town halls and municipal buildings all around us, begs the question of such economic disparity.
The answer to that query lies in the imprudent management of our financial affairs over the last two decades; and the apparent inability of disparate sensibilities to coalesce around proven governing practices that anticipate the reality of unforeseen consequences.
But, any attempt to improve the situation of city hall overcrowding at this time, by the method currently under review, in a period of pending economic uncertainty and unsustainable municipal funding levels, would be to ignore the consequentiality of reckless imprudence.
In the just concluded 2006/2007 fiscal year, the city of South Portland distributed nearly $15 million dollars in employee wages. It generously added nearly another $5 million in additional benefits. I suspect the city hall workforce might, in all probability, suffer gladly any inconvenience a while longer.
As for the city council, thwarted time and again by public outcries for fiscal constraint, on Sept. 7, 2005, underhandedly took it upon itself to be the “deciders” for the rest of us on the issue of reckless spending, and set in motion a furtive process that would eventually realize the prize for the supposed long-suffering managers and employees of whom I spoke. It would elevate their sense of worth and glee right up there with the municipal happy campers of Westbrook, Gorham, and Scarborough.
Let me point out here that my use of the words “city” and “council” are not intended to paint every member of that oft polarized body with the same brush. I, they, and most who pay any attention to South Portland politics, know full well who is whom, what each stands for and where the sleeping dogs lie. They are all good people with loving hearts.
However, the old state armory building and grounds had become available for the third time and, with the apparent plight of the city hall dwellers in mind, the council threw all due process to the wind in its attempt to “do the right thing” in the matter of taking care of their own.
They first swiftly and quietly plopped down $25,000 for an appraisal of the building, inspections, and legal fees. This, without public notice, a scintilla of information or consultation with their municipal stakeholders (we, the people) who are expected to cover the tab, along with (a supposed) zero indication as to the targeted building’s condition or projected use.
Then, as a perfunctory, face-saving afterthought on the hope-no-one-noticed issue of illegality, on Thursday evening, March 2, 2006, the public was belatedly invited to offer its after-the-fact insight as to the commonsensical logic of the council’s illicit slight of hand. The audience was more conspicuous for its absentee count (roughly 17,460) then the 40 assumed South Portland residents in attendance whom, among them, was a roundly-loaded and assertive group of municipal administrators, employees, family and friends that, not surprisingly, were unanimous in ballyhooing the need to acquire the aging monstrosity. That they were coyly reticent to suggest any specific use is understandable, under the circumstances.
The resulting anemic public discussion/head count was deemed favorable to the proponents, which gave them the green light to move forward with the quest for their prize.
In a celebratory mode, Mayor Maxine Beecher, matter-of-factly referring to the council in the Feb. 3, 2006 edition of the South Portland-Cape Elizabeth Sentry said, “I think we all think that the city should own the Armory.” But, at least for public consumption, the city council was inexplicitly mute as to any particular or favored future use.
This obvious attempt by the Council to cover its backside and temporarily skew the financial reality of its ultimate aim – a new city hall in the old Armory – was under way. The council, on March 2, 2006, submitted a bid of $650,000. On March 6, 2006, it was accepted by the Bankruptcy Court.
Once purchased, Mayor Beecher personally handpicked a group to explore the building’s possible uses. It was not exactly, as former City Manager Jeffrey Jordan had suggested prior to skipping town, a “Blue Ribbon” commission, i.e., “an independent and exclusive commission of non–partisan statesmen and experts formed to investigate some important governmental issue.”
It was anything but expert, statesmanlike, or non-partisan. Council member Kay Loring, not known for her tact or timidities under fire, and heavily slanted from the outset to reach the conclusion so stated, chaired it.
After a year-long period of meetings, suggestions, and so-called deliberations, Councilor Loring presented the group’s unanimous recommendation to the city council – the old armory would be best suited morphed into an all encompassing new city hall complex. Surprise! Surprise!
This recommendation was arrived at by at least eight members of the committee (a majority) who were either on the city payroll or had personal interests that would tend to render them partisan in favor of such a choice. To help ratchet up the favorability aspect of the location, a number of tempting suggested adjuncts had been presented to the committee as possible compatible uses under the same roof. A new main library with accessory uses, was mentioned. A possible arts and theater center, artist living/working spaces and non-profit cooperative spaces were described as possibilities. Such would obviously tend to favor a ‘yes’ vote from any number of those members listed below, not already prejudiced toward that end from day one. Among them were: Dennis C. Gilbert, a widely published writer who teaches autobiography and creative writing at the University of Southern Maine and other projects funded in part by the New England Foundation for the Arts; Jim Soule, council member, now mayor, and local businessman who, at a December 2006 armory committee meeting proclaimed, according to the minutes of the meeting: “The council is looking for a core group (advocates) to make the push for the building.”
Councilor Kay Loring is quoted as saying, “We shouldn’t worry about cost.” Jim Gaily, at that time, assistant city manager, was an obvious vote; Miles Haskell, deputy fire chief, whose boss continues to worry about security around the “public safety complex” is another; Amy Berry, deputy police chief, obvious vote; Linda Eastman, member of the City of South Portland Community Development Advisory Committee, ditto; Norman Lamothe, who, by bid, on April 20, 2005 purchased a piece of land from the city at 1396 Broadway, ditto; Linda Eastman, member of the City of South Portland Community Development Committee, ditto; Henrietta LaRou, in a committee meeting, was quoted as declaring that she is “thrilled that the city took over the building” and that, “rehab would be a piece of cake.” Lisa Kubiak, who reinforced the need for the city to make it the new municipal building – ditto; Betsy Ross, wife of Wayne H. Ross, of Maine Technical College wondered, “Should we bring in the neighbors?” – ditto.
After this lengthy “evaluation,” process the predictable result was to further burden the taxpayers with additional millions of dollars by morphing this dilapidated monstrosity into some semblance of a city hall.
And we became an oligarchy when?
Robert Lord is a South Portland resident with 35 years experience, covering, court, police, school boards, and municipal malfeasance, for the Boston Globe, Manchester Union Leader, as well as a former publisher of two Maine weeklies, the Eastern Gazette in Dexter and Moosehead Gazette in Greenville.
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