Commissioners asked Biddeford’s mayor and interim city manager pointed and probing questions about how those roles should be defined in the city’s charter
By RANDY SEAVER | Editor
Members of Biddeford’s Charter Review Commission spent the bulk of their most recent meeting asking both Mayor Liam LaFountain and interim City Manager Cornell Knight questions about the roles and responsibilities of the city’s mayor and city manager.
The elected Charter Commission has less than a year to review the city’s charter and make recommendations for changes. Ultimately, Biddeford voters will need to approve any suggested changes.
The role of a city manager has become a hot-topic in Biddeford, dominating headlines and community conversations for more than two years, especially following the ouster of former city manager James Bennett in February 2025.
Bennett’s full-time successor – Truc Dever – abruptly resigned her post after only nine months on the job.
In both cases, the community was left to grapple with questions and concerns about how the city should be governed.
Richard Rhames, a former city councilor, is a member of the Charter Review Commission and has been outspoken on the issue, arguing that the city should do away with the city manager position and instead have a stronger-mayor role that is directly accountable to the voters.
On the other side of the coin, several people – including Dever herself –faulted the mayor and some members of the city council for being “too hard and demanding” on Dever with unrealistic expectations.
Ironically, the commission’s focus on the city manager role began while the city was in final negotiations to hire a new city manager.
RELATED | Conflicting messages impact city manager negotiations
Earlier this week, the city ended those negotiations, announcing that Kennebunkport Town Manager Laurie Smith has been hired to take over the reins at Biddeford City Hall.
Thursday’s charter review meeting was mostly cordial, but there was noticeable tension between members about the line of questioning.
Both Rhames and Commissioner Bob Mills have served on previous charter review commissions and the city council.
Rhames and Mills stressed their institutional knowledge and raised some indirect issues that drew pushback from Commission Chair Norm Belanger and Commissioner Steven Ellis who both said questions should be more relevant to the charter and avoid unrelated topics such as the city’s budget process.
Questions about the city manager’s role
The first half of Thursday’s meeting focused on the city manager role.
Sam Pecor, the commission’s vice chair, spent more than 20 minutes asking Interim Manager Knight for detailed responses about what the city manager’s role should look like, how that position actually functions today; and the challenges or obstacles that impact the city manager’s office.
Knight was measured and direct with his responses, pointing out that he is now effectively retired and only accepted the part-time, interim position at the request of an old friend.
Pecor pointed out that Knight has decades of experience in municipal management, and asked Knight to offer a historical perspective about how the role has changed over the last 30 years.
Knight said the essence of the job and responsibility has not changed substantially, but also said each community is different in terms of its expectations of a city manager.
Knight said the city manager should not attempt to set municipal policy, but also said that position should have control over personnel issues, including terminations to prevent political disruption and potential legal issues.
Knight, who began his career in city administration in the late 1970s, said technology has significantly impacted town and city governments.
“When I started, we used typewriters, push-button telephones and carbon copies,” he laughed, saying technology has helped local governments improve efficiencies and public services.
On the other hand, Knight said the prevalence of social media presents additional challenges and complexities – most notably in trying to manage misinformation and rumors that spread rapidly among users sharing negative stories without context.
Knight said accountability regarding the city’s finances should rest with the city manager. He also said his current job has been the “most challenging” of his career in city management, including previous work in Bar Harbor, Waterville, Baileyville, Jay, Hallowell, Orono and Harpswell.
Knight said his biggest concern when considering whether to accept an interim position in Biddeford centered upon the city’s ongoing financial problems, including overdue audits.
“When you have no idea where you are with your fund balance, it’s concerning,” Knight said.
“When you have no idea
— Cornell knight
where you are with your
fund balance, it’s concerning.”
Knight pointed to recent sewer billing problems, the ongoing search for a city manager and the July 13 shooting of a Biddeford resident by agents from the Immigration Customs and Enforcement Agency as the most significant challenges during his brief tenure with the city.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, Biddeford resident John Shafer said he was pleased that the commission was focusing on increasing accountability at City Hall.
Shafer suggested the city should publicly disclose its specific financial standing on a regular, monthly basis. He said the city could install a “financial dashboard” of the city’s website, giving the public the opportunity to see current and updated financial information on demand.
The role of Biddeford’s mayor
Mayor Liam LaFountain spent nearly an hour responding to questions from the commission about his job, its challenges and how it should be defined in the city’s charter.
During his testimony, LaFountain repeatedly stressed that the city should focus on effectiveness over efficiency.
“The city is not a business and should not be operated as a business,” LaFountain said. “The city exists to provide services to its residents. Our work should be primarily focused on providing services. We’re not a business, and we’re not making a profit.”
LaFountain said public expectations have always been notably high in Biddeford, pointing out that past mayors and city councils sometimes focused more on getting elected than addressing systemic challenges and making sometimes painful financial investments.
“If you look at the ongoing sewer separation work, you can quickly see we are spending a lot more money today because we delayed necessary work for so many years – kicking the can down the road,” LaFountain said.
Staggered terms, council and mayor compensation?
LaFountain said he would support longer terms for both the mayor and city council.
Under the current charter, the mayor and entire city council is up for election every two years.
Rhames said he thinks the current system gives the voters a chance to “thoroughly clean house” whenever public concerns about local government reach a crescendo.
But LaFountain said two years is simply not enough time for either a mayor or city council. “You pretty much spend your first year learning and absorbing information,” he said. “There isn’t enough time to make any tangible policy changes in just two years.”
“Running this city is like
— Michael SWANTON
trying to steer the
Queen Mary with one oar.”
Rhames has long advocated for increasing the financial compensation for the city’s mayor, city council and school committee members.
Under the current charter, the mayor receives $10,000 per year, city councilors are paid $100 per month and school committee members are paid $10 per meeting, a compensation level that Rhames described as “punishing” and a deterrence to more public participation in public office.
LaFountain reminded the commission those compensation rates were established 50 years ago in 1976. When simply adjusted for inflation, the mayor’s salary would be the equivalent of nearly $60,000 in today’s dollars.
LaFountain also said the mayor’s relationship with the city council often comes down to differing personalities. He said the city should be required to set tangible and measurable goals at least annually.
Commissioner Mike Swanton – another former city councilor – drew a laugh when he reminded his fellow commissioners that change is often very slow in Biddeford.
“Running this city is like trying to steer the Queen Mary with one oar,” Swanton quipped. “Nothing in Biddeford happens with lightning speed.”
STAY CONNECTED | SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE TODAY
