LEWISTON, Maine — Some Lewiston city councilors are pushing back against claims they violated open meeting laws.
Councilors Lee Clement, Larry Pease, Rick LaChapelle, and Robert MacCarthy have been accused of discussing city business outside of an official meeting.
“In my opinion, it brushes the line of moral turpitude, a removable offense," Lewiston Council President Linda Scott said during Tuesday night's city council meeting where she brought the allegations forward. "In the last week, a dozen community members have either called me or stopped me to say they've heard four members of the council had met at The Cage after last week's joint planning board and council meeting."
Councilor MacCarthy told NEWS CENTER Maine he did get together with the councilors at the center of the allegations along with some other city leaders.
"For the most part, what I talked about with Planning Board Member Josh Nagine was recycling, solar panels, and all the silliness surrounding a lot of those subjects," MacCarthy said.
MacCarthy and Councilor LaChapelle said they did nothing wrong.
"We shared stories, we talked about planning," LaChapelle said. "We've accomplished a lot in a year's time in Lewiston and this was a chance for us to celebrate."
LaChapelle called the claims against him and the other councilors politically motivated.
"I'm just saddened by the fact they’ve lowered themselves to a level that we expect to see in Washington, not in Lewiston, Maine," LaChapelle added. "This is a political hack job that's coming in."
LaChapelle pointed to the fact it's not uncommon for some councilors to get together outside of city council business.
"I have breakfast every Saturday morning with Councilor Pease," he said. "We've been doing this for years. He's a friend of mine. So I can't have breakfast with a councilor any longer?
Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline pushed back against the councilor's claims the allegations are politically motivated.
“We’re not talking about politics here," Sheline told NEWS CENTER Maine. "We’re talking about being transparent and conducting the people’s business in an open fashion.”
Sheline said he supports a request by Scott to have the city attorney look into the allegations on whether the councilor's meeting violated open meeting laws.
"When you're in public service, trust is all we have and it's really important to maintain that trust for the benefit of the city of Lewiston and its residents," Sheline added.
The Maine Attorney General's Office said it had been notified of the allegations, but wouldn't comment further.