Why is the city of Biddeford still fighting a project that has already been approved? Let’s examine our city’s priorities.
By BEN NEVEUX | Special to the Gazette
There comes a point in every political fight when leadership requires something more difficult than taking a position. It requires knowing when to let go. Mayor Liam LaFountain appears to have reached that point with the University of New England’s proposed research pier.
The question now isn’t whether the mayor agrees with the pier. The question is whether continuing to fight it is in the best interest of Biddeford. I don’t believe it is.
UNE has spent years pursuing this project through the appropriate regulatory channels. The proposed pier has been reviewed by state and federal agencies and approved by the Planning Board. There have been studies, hearings, public comments and opportunities for objections.
Yet the city continues to fight.
At some point, residents have to ask: What exactly are we trying to accomplish? If there is a legitimate safety concern, identify it. If there is an environmental problem, demonstrate it. If the project violates a city ordinance, explain precisely how.
But if the real issue is that the mayor and the current administration simply don’t like the outcome of a process that has already been completed, that’s not a sufficient reason to keep fighting.
Government cannot operate that way. And it certainly isn’t the collaborative government Mayor LaFountain promised Biddeford last year.
LaFountain has spoken often about collaboration, accountability and evidence-based decision-making. Those are admirable principles. Now he needs to demonstrate them.
At some point, residents
have to ask: What exactly
are we trying to accomplish?
UNE has attempted to resolve this dispute outside the courtroom. The university has sought meetings and offered mediation. Instead of taking advantage of an opportunity to find common ground, the dispute has continued.
That raises an uncomfortable question: If you believe in collaboration, why aren’t you collaborating?
There is also something else worth considering.
Youth is an asset in public office. It brings energy, excitement, new ideas and a willingness to challenge the status quo. But youth often comes without something that only time can provide a remedy for: experience.
Experience teaches us that not every disagreement has to produce a winner and a loser. Experience teaches us that compromise isn’t surrender. And perhaps most importantly, experience teaches us that sometimes the smartest political decision is knowing when to stop fighting.
I hope Mayor LaFountain learns that lesson here.
Because UNE isn’t some outside developer parachuting into Biddeford. UNE is one of this city’s most important institutions.
Its students live here. Its faculty and staff live here. Its visitors spend money here. Its research contributes to our understanding of the Saco River, Saco Bay and the Gulf of Maine.
Its marine science program is one of the things that distinguishes Biddeford from other Maine communities. We should be building on that advantage—not fighting it.
UNE isn’t some outside developer
parachuting into Biddeford.
UNE is one of this city’s
most important institutions.
For decades, Biddeford was defined by its mills. Today, we’re trying to define ourselves differently.
The transformation of downtown, redevelopment of the mills and growth of UNE have helped create a new Biddeford. We’ve spent years telling businesses, entrepreneurs, developers, students and families that Biddeford is open for business.
So, what message does this fight send?
Come to Biddeford. Invest here. Work with us. Follow the rules. Spend years navigating the approval process.
And then, once you’ve done everything asked of you, prepare for the city to keep fighting. That’s not economic development. That’s a warning label.
There is a larger issue here.
Government must have rules. But rules mean very little if the government can continually move the finish line. A regulatory process has to mean something.
If a project receives the required approvals, those approvals should carry weight. Otherwise, why have the process at all?
The city cannot demand predictability from taxpayers and businesses while denying predictability to an institution that has followed the rules.
And there is another consideration that shouldn’t be lost in this debate: This fight costs money.
Every lawsuit costs taxpayers money. Every hour city attorneys spend on this dispute is an hour—and a dollar—that cannot be spent elsewhere.
Biddeford has plenty of legitimate needs. Our roads need work. Our infrastructure needs investment. Property taxes remain a concern. Residents have legitimate questions about municipal spending.
Those are the issues I would rather see our mayor fighting over.
Instead, Biddeford is spending political capital and taxpayer resources fighting with a university that is trying to invest in our community.
That doesn’t make sense to me.
Mayor LaFountain has a choice. He can continue the fight. He can continue looking for procedural and legal avenues to delay or stop the pier.
Or he can do something that would demonstrate genuine leadership.
He can pick up the phone. Call UNE President James Herbert. Sit down with university officials. Invite the planning board, harbor officials, environmental experts and concerned residents to the table. Find out what legitimate concerns remain. Address them. Negotiate reasonable conditions if necessary. And then move forward.
That’s leadership.
Leadership isn’t measured by how long you can hold a position. Sometimes it’s measured by recognizing that the community’s interests have changed—and having the maturity to change with them.
Mayor LaFountain doesn’t have to admit he was wrong. He doesn’t have to declare UNE the winner. He doesn’t even have to like the pier. But he does have an obligation to ask a very simple question: What is best for Biddeford?
I believe the answer is allowing UNE to move forward. Not because UNE deserves special treatment. Not because every concern about the project is illegitimate. And not because government should stop regulating development.
Rather, because after years of review and multiple approvals, Biddeford should respect its own process.
We should want a university that is investing in research. We should want scientists studying our river and coastline.
We should want students and researchers coming to Biddeford. We should want institutions that bring knowledge, jobs, visitors and investment into our community.
And we should want a city government that understands the difference between protecting the public interest and simply refusing to accept an outcome it doesn’t like.
Mayor LaFountain campaigned on collaboration. He campaigned on accountability. He campaigned on evidence-based decision-making. The UNE pier gives him an opportunity to demonstrate all three.
Mayor LaFountain, stop fighting UNE and start working with them. Youth and ambition may have gotten you into City Hall. But it will take judgment, humility and experience to lead Biddeford well.
Knowing when to fight is leadership. Knowing when to stop fighting is leadership, too.
Biddeford has bigger challenges. Our city has a future to build. Let’s stop fighting about a pier and start figuring out how to make it work.
It’s time to move forward.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR | Ben Neveux is a lifelong resident of Biddeford, a 1981 graduate of Biddeford High School and a 21-year veteran of the United States Air Force. He is a member of the Biddeford Gazette’s Community Advisory Council. Proud of his hometown and passionate about photography, Ben created the Facebook photo blog Biddeford, My Hometown to showcase his street and landscape photography and celebrate the city he calls home.
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NOTE | The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Biddeford Gazette, its staff, affiliates or sponsors. We encourage robust and diverse community conversations on topics related to the city of Biddeford. For information about how to submit your own letter or column, please CONTACT US
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UNE needs to start behaving and acting like the good neighbor they say they are. How are free or reduced tuition for Biddeford residents. The $300,000 annual contribution
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First step is to have UNE pay taxes, that will help the Biddeford community.
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I agree, UNE’s presence in Biddeford is beneficial and should be supported. Build the pier, it has been through the process.
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