Residents collect enough signatures to invoke a special meeting

Members of a grassroots coalition that are pushing for a public airing of grievance meeting announced Thursday that they have collected far more than the 100-signatures of registered Biddeford voters they need in order invoke a “General Meeting of Citizens.”

“It really wasn’t hard to get the signatures,” said Carole Alexander, the wife of Biddeford’s former harbormaster, the late Marshall Alexander.

Carole Alexander spearheaded the effort to collect the signatures and force the public meeting regarding the University of New England’s planned research pier on the Saco River.

Alexander told the Gazette she that became angry during the review process of UNE’s proposal, especially when University of New England officials publicly implied that her late husband supported the school’s desired location for their large research pier.

“They just made that up,” Alexander said. “Marshall never approved that site. They [the university] are just trying to cover their butts now because our current harbormaster also doesn’t approve of the site.”

In March 2024, former Biddeford City Manager Jim Bennett removed both the city’s current harbormaster and assistant harbormaster from the review process, stating that the harbormaster demonstrated bias and the city could face possible litigation from the university.

According to city ordinances, members of the public can petition the city council to host a public meeting that will be run by citizens while the mayor and members of the city council listen to the public’s concerns.

The rarely invoked “General Meeting of the Citizens” is allowed if 100 valid signatures are collected. The mechanics of a General Meeting require the city council to listen and not speak — as citizens fully air grievances about the topic at hand.

Former city councilor Kyle Noble, one of the most vocal opponents of UNE’s plan, said many residents — throughout the city — are concerned about what he described as a rushed public review process that “often seemed less than transparent.”

“This is not just a bunch of NIMBYs in the Hills Beach area,” Noble said. “We got signatures from across the city.”

John Schafer – another outspoken opponent of the pier’s proposed location and former chair of Biddeford’s Harbor Commission – said he was able to get dozens of signatures simply by talking to residents who were dropping off trash and recyclable materials at the city’s transfer station on Saturday.

“I was stunned by how many people were so eager and willing to sign the petition,” Shafer said.

“We could have collected a thousand signatures if we had to,” Noble said. “In all my years of public service, I can’t remember any issue galvanizing people like this one has.”

Alexander pointed out that her signatures were collected over a period of just four days. She delivered several sheets of signed petitions to City Manager Truc Dever on Thursday morning.

As of press time, it remains unclear when the airing of grievance meeting will take place.

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Randy Seaver is the editor and founder of the Biddeford Gazette. He may be reached by email at randy@randyseaver.com

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