Earlier today, I spent some time with Chuck Cote at the Biddeford Community Center reviewing his amazing archive of local sports and political newspaper clippings and other fascinating memorabilia.
We plan to publish a full story tomorrow, including an interview, some fun pictures, video and a really fun walk down Biddeford’s memory lane as Chuck tells us about the Glory Days of St. Louis High School, and when a presidential candidate visited Biddeford more than 50 years ago.
In the meantime, take a quick look back at these young punks who ran — and won –seats on the Biddeford City Council on Mayor Babe Dutremble’s ticket in 1977.
THEN . . .
Roch AngersAlan CasavantDick Lambert
Wow . . . time goes so fast (I was 13 back then and delivering the Journal Tribune in my neighborhood.)
TODAY . . .
AngersCasavantLambert
If you love Biddeford history, check back with us tomorrow!
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A longtime fixture at City Hall, Roch Angers tells the Gazette he wants to follow in Richard Dutremble’s footsteps at the county level
By RANDY SEAVER, Editor
Roch Angers – a longtime former Biddeford city councilor and a current planning board member – told the Gazette Sunday that he is seriously considering a run for the District Two seat on the York County Board of Commissioners.
The county’s District Two seat is being vacated this year by Richard Dutremble of Biddeford who announced in January that he will not seek reelection after 20 years of service on the board.
Last week, former Biddeford City Councilor Doris Ortiz formally announced that she is hoping to replace Dutremble as the county commissioner representing Biddeford.
Angers, 73, is a well-known politician in the city of Biddeford. For many years, his family ran a small grocery store on South Street. He attended St. Louis High School and then graduated from Biddeford High School in 1971.
Angers has been a fixture at City Hall for more than three decades. His brother Luc was Biddeford’s city clerk in the 1980s.
Former Biddeford City Councilor Roch Angers (Contributed photo)
Roch Angers has served on the Biddeford City Council under four different mayors, including Lucien “Babe” Dutremble, Roger Normand, Donna Dion and Alan Casavant.
“I guess you could say that I have been around for quite a while,” he laughed during a telephone interview. “I still enjoy public service.”
Angers, a self-described moderate and fiscal conservative, said he wants to follow in Dutremble’s footsteps.
“I think he [Dutremble] is an outstanding commissioner,” Angers said. “When I learned he was stepping down, I picked up the phone and begged him to stay in the seat.”
Angers has served nearly a decade on the Biddeford Planning Board, and he became the center of controversy last year when he personally appeared before the Biddeford City Council to express his concerns about a controversial research pier being proposed by the University of New England.
In August – only days before the planning board narrowly voted 3-2 to approve the project — Angers told the council he was troubled by the review process.
“Something about this seems fishy,” Angers told the council. He was one of two planning board members who later voted against the proposal.
Planning Board member Roch Angers shares his concerns about UNE’s controversial plan to build a research pier on the Saco River during an August 5, 2025 council meeting. “Something about this feels fishy,” he said. (Seaver photo)
Former Mayor Marty Grohman was incensed by Angers’ move to speak publicly about the project while also serving as a member of the planning board.
Grohman later attempted to remove Angers from the planning board but got almost no support for that effort from the city council.
When Grohman brought the issue forward, the council remained silent and stone-faced. No one would second a motion offered by former Ward One City Councilor William Emhiser.
After several seconds of silence from the other eight councilors, City Attorney Harry Center advised the mayor that the issue was dead on arrival.
Grohman later told the Gazette that he would continue his efforts to remove Angers from the planning board. That never happened.
Today, Angers is enjoying his retirement after working many years in various management positions for Shaw’s supermarkets across Maine.
“I think I have something to offer,” Angers said, pointing out that he is concerned about the growing county budget and its impact on Biddeford and the city’s neighboring communities of Arundel, Kennebunk and Kennebunkport.
Angers said he hopes to make a final decision about running in the next few days. He said he has been calling several people throughout the community.
“Many people have told me that they would support me,” Angers said. “I am honored and truly appreciative of that support, but I want to make sure that I dot my I’s and cross my T’s,” he laughed.
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CORRECTION: This story contained an error, stating that Angers retired as a butcher from the Shaw’s supermarket in Saco. In fact, Angers retired from Shaw’s after many years of working in various management positions for Shaw’s supermarkets across the state. We have corrected the story, and apologize for the error.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:Randy Seaver is the editor and founder of the Biddeford Gazette. He has been covering Biddeford news and politics for nearly three decades. He may be reached by email: randy@randyseaver.com
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THE BIDDEFORD GAZETTE |A Legacy of Trusted, Independent Journalism
[This story has been updated to include commentary from Alexa Plotkin, chair of Biddeford’s planning board.]
By RANDY SEAVER, Editor
Biddeford Mayor Liam LaFountain won his campaign a few weeks ago by promising to prioritize transparency and accountability at City Hall.
As part of that pledge, LaFountain has been seeking and interviewing people who have expressed an interest in serving on any one of more than 20 committees, boards and commissions.
One of the most notable changes being proposed by LaFountain is a slight shakeup on the city’s planning board.
The Planning Board has seven members, including the chair and two non-voting, associate members.
Both Larry Patoine and Susan Deschambault will no longer be serving as regular members on the planning board because their terms expired in December.
Biddeford Mayor Liam LaFountain says periodic “refreshing” can be valuable,
Deschambault said she was ready to step down after more than a decade of service, but Patoine says he would have enjoyed serving another term.
Patoine joined the planning board in 2007 during the Wallace Nutting administration and has been repeatedly reappointed over the last 18 years.
“I really enjoyed it,” Patoine said of his tenure on the board. “Yes, I would have liked another term, but it’s the mayor’s prerogative about who is appointed. I think he (LaFountain) wants to be headed in a different direction.”
A few weeks before he announced his bid to become Biddeford’s next mayor, LaFountain – then city council president — was clearly troubled by the review process of several large projects that came before the planning board.
During a June 17, 2025 city council meeting, LaFountain and other councilors were visibly upset about how two major projects were being presented to the city council.
Both Fathom Development and Westbrook Development Corp. appeared before the council for final approval of credit enhancement agreements connected to two projects near the city’s Pearl Street parking garage.
After a tense, marathon council meeting that lasted until after midnight, the council was evenly split in a 4-4 tie, and credit enhancement agreements were approved after then mayor Marty Grohman broke the tie.
“This makes me ridiculously uncomfortable,” LaFountain said during the meeting, frustrated that City Planner David Galbraith appeared to be taking direction from the developers who were seated in the audience. “This is not a good look for the city.”
The site where Westbrook Development Commission wants to build 90 units of senior housing near the intersection of Lincoln and Pearl streets (Seaver photo)
Within days after winning his election, LaFountain pushed for further review of how the University of New England’s controversial pier proposal was handled.
The pier project was narrowly approved in a 3-2 vote before the planning board on August 6.
Planning board member Roch Angers appeared before the council on the previous day and said “something smells fishy” about how UNE’s application was reviewed by city officials.
Today, LaFountain says there is a benefit to having “periodic changes” on city boards and commissions.
“I think it’s good to refresh things from time to time,” the mayor said.
During his first council meeting as mayor in December, LaFountain appointed former city councilor John McCurry to the planning board.
McCurry – a former city councilor, council president and former School Committee member – said he is looking forward to serving on the planning board. “This mayor is focused on data-driven solutions,” McCurry says. “I think that’s right up my alley.”
On Tuesday, the city council will review LaFountain’s appointment of Leah Schaffer to the planning board.
LaFountain told the Gazette that he is “impressed” by Schaffer’s resume and qualifications.
According to her application, Schaffer is an architect and has a “strong interest in city planning.”
Schaffer has served on the city’s Historic Preservation Commission since 2016 and currently serves as that organization’s chair. She also serves as chair on the Citizen’s Advisory since 2023.
Schafer served as chair and member of the Heart of Biddeford’s Design Committee from 2016 to 2024.
Other members of the planning board include Chair Alexa Plotkin; voting members Roch Angers and Matt Dubois; and associate member Kayla Lewis.
Plotkin told the Gazette that the planning board has experienced a significant increase in both the pace and volume of items requiring review.
“We are seeing a big spike in the number of applications that have come before us,” Plotkin said, pointing to both large-scale housing projects and increasing rebuild/redesign applications from coastal homeowners who are either preparing for future storms or trying to repair weather-related damages to their homes.
“Being on the planning is a constant learning process,” Plotkin said, pointing to numerous policy changes and updated zoning ordinances at both the local and state level.
Plotkin said she feels “a bit sad’ that Larry Patoine will no longer be on the board. “I can see the value of a fresh set of eyes, but I also see tremendous value in having people with lots of institutional knowledge, Plotkin added.
Plotkin’s term expires in December 2027; Angers and Dubois both have terms that expire in December.
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Randy Seaver is the editor and founder of the Biddeford Gazette. He may be reached by email: randy@randyseaver.com
c.) 2026 All Rights Reserved
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Biddeford Mayor Marty Grohman seems ready to take another bite at the apple when it comes to ousting Roch Angers from the planning board, despite broad public opposition.
On Tuesday, Grohman presented the council with his recommendation to remove Angers from the Biddeford Planning Board. Only councilor William Emhiser was willing to take up the matter, but his motion failed to get a second from another member of the council.
While most people considered the issue dead on arrival, Grohman says he is still exploring ways to remove Angers from the board.
Biddeford Mayor Marty Grohman
On August 5, Angers, a member of the planning board, brought his own personal concerns to the council regarding how the city was handling the University of New England’s proposal to construct a large pier near its Biddeford campus.
When contacted by the Gazette on Friday, Grohman remained steadfast in his effort to remove Angers.
“I don’t think it is something that can be ignored,” Grohman said. “We can’t have people doing whatever they want on boards and commissions, there are rules that need to be followed.”
Grohman says the complaint, which was lodged by Alexa Plotkin, chair of the planning board, should be heard before the council.
Several councilors we spoke to say they do not understand why or how the mayor intends to move forward.
When asked that question, Grohman acknowledged that he does not have an approach or plan worked out. “I’m not sure, I’m not going to do it. I think it has to come from the council chair or someone else.”
Emhiser was unavailable for comment as of press time. He was the only councilor willing to bring the mayor’s proposal forward. Emhiser represents the city’s coastal area including the University of New England’s campus. He is not seeking reelection.
Other members of the council say that they are somewhat baffled as to why Grohman is pursuing something that has so little support.
Councilor Marc Lessard said the mayor has the prerogative to pursue the item, but he also said “It’s really weird. It’s got me scratching my head.”
It’s really weird. It’s got me scratching my head.
— Councilor Marc Lessard
Council President Liam LaFountain said “It’s perplexing, but it’s the mayor’s prerogative.”
Councilor Norman Belanger echoed what Lessard and LaFountain said.
“I don’t get it,” he said. “Under Robert’s Rules of Order, it can be brought back up, but I don’t see this as proceeding forward.”
When contacted by the Gazette, Angers said he also does not understand the mayor’s dogged approach to remove him from the planning board.
“I have no clue why he is continuing to go after me. I see it as Marty just being Marty,” Angers said.
Angers added that he has no plans to step down from the planning board but did say that his relationship with Board Chair Alexa Plotkin feels strained and awkward.
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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The Biddeford City Council is expected to vote Tuesday about Mayor Marty Grohman’s request to remove a member of the city’s planning board.
And now, another member of the planning board is rising to the defense of his colleague, saying a removal is not necessary and that a written reprimand would be more appropriate.
Grohman issued a public statement last week, announcing that he will be asking the council to oust Roch Angers – a longtime board member and former city councilor – from the planning board.
Roch Angers addresses the Biddeford City Council on August 5
Grohman says Angers acted inappropriately during the August 5 city council meeting.
At that August 5 meeting, Angers approached the podium and said he was speaking to the council as a citizen, not in his official capacity as a member of the planning board.
During his remarks, Angers raised several questions about the process connected to the municipal review of the pier project being proposed by the University of New England. Specifically, Angers said that he was disturbed about the city’s move to remove harbormaster Paul Lariviere from the review process.
While Grohman says that all planning board members sign a statement agreeing to be impartial and follow the board’s code of ethics, Angers said that his motivation for speaking out is rooted in the fact that people should know what is happening in the city with regards to the project.
Grohman says he has “tremendous respect” for Angers and his many years of service to the city.
“This was not an easy thing for me to do,” Grohman said. “But it is my responsibility to make sure that every applicant is treated fairly and consistently by the city’s review agencies, including the planning board.”
Angers said he was not especially surprised by the mayor’s move to oust him.
“I have always given my best effort to the city of Biddeford,” Angers said. “I also have a responsibility to make sure that the city is well represented on every application that comes before the board.”
According to the planning board’s rules of procedure and code of ethics,
“appointment to the Planning Board…represents a public trust”
The code of ethics also reminds members of the importance of seeking as much information as possible. The code of ethics states, that “members have the responsibility to insist that they are provided…information of sufficient scope and depth to allow them to fully understand the issues before the Board and the alternative actions available to the Board.”
Also, the protocol spells out what a member should do if they do not fully understand the issues immediately before the board. The board member has the responsibility to ask questions and to acquire the necessary understanding.
“I did what I did because I was speaking for the people of Biddeford,” Angers said. “There have been too many questionable things, and I have a reputation for calling it like I see it.”
Grohman said the decision was a hard one for him to make. He also acknowledged that the timing of his decision is less than ideal, given that citywide elections will be taking place in less than 90 days.
“I realize this is very bad for me politically, but I have got to do what is right, rules are rules,” Grohman said.
When contacted by the Gazette, planning board chair Alexa Plotkin said she was the one who filed the complaint against Angers.
“A joint request was made by myself and the vice chair of the planning board (Larry Patoine) to Mayor Grohman to begin the process of removing Mr. Angers from the board due to his actions at the August 5th, 2025 city council meeting,” Plotkin said.
However, when contacted by the Gazette on Friday, Larry Patoine — vice chair of the planning board— said he is reconsidering his position.
“I now think we are being a bit too harsh,” Patoine said. “I would be more supportive of issuing a written reprimand.”
Angers says he will personally attend Tuesday’s council meeting to defend his position as a member of the planning board.
“I am not going to walk away with my tail between my legs,” Angers said. “I have no regrets.”
Randy Seaver is the editor and founder of the Biddeford Gazette. He may be contacted by email at Randy@randyseaver.com
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In a surprise move, Roch Angers — a former Biddeford city councilor and current member of the city’s planning board – told members of the city council Tuesday that he has serious concerns about the University of New England’s plans to construct a large pier on the Saco River.
“Something about this whole mess doesn’t feel right to me,” Angers told the council. “The way I see it, something seems fishy about this.”
The Biddeford Planning Board voted 3-2 on July 16 to give UNE preliminary site plan approval for their proposed pier, a project that has stirred considerable controversy in the community.
The Planning Board is scheduled to make a final vote on the project at their next meeting later tonight (August 6).
Angers is one of two planning board members who voted against the project during the board’s July 21 meeting.
Although the city council and mayor have no oversight or control over the Planning Board, Angers told the Gazette he thinks everyone should “be made aware of what is happening.”
Planning Board member Roch Angers told the Biddeford City Council that he has serious concerns about how the city has handled the review process of UNE’s controversial proposal to build a large pier on the Saco River(Seaver photo)
Angers addressed the council during the “public comment” portion of Tuesday’s council meeting. During this time, members of the public can address the council on any topic for up to three minutes.
Following his remarks, Angers said he was still feeling frustrated about the issue, especially after Mayor Marty Grohman told Angers that he had exceeded his three-minute limit for public comment.
“I couldn’t finish what I wanted to say,” he said while standing outside the council chambers.
Angers says he has no animosity toward the university, but does have “serious concerns” about how the application has been handled by the city.
“There are rules, laws and procedures we have to follow,” Angers said. “We can’t just pick and choose the ordinances or laws that we want to follow.”
Angers said he is going to make a motion during tonight’s planning board meeting to table further discussion of the university’s proposal until he “can get some answers.”
Specifically, Angers said he is troubled by a noticeable lack of public input during a complex review process that involved both state and federal agencies.
“Why was everything so quiet during their presentation to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers?” he asked, pointing out the fact that the federal agency did not hold any public hearings nor seek public input, despite the fact that university was able to secure a $3.5 million federal grant for the project from Senator Susan Collins.
We can’t just pick and choose the ordinances or laws that we want to follow.”
— Roch Angers
Angers said the Maine Department of Environmental Protection also gave its approval for the project without holding any public hearings, nor did they seek public input before making their decision.
During a previous interview with the Gazette, a UNE spokesperson said the university has followed all state, federal and local requirements when submitting their application.
“The University of New England has provided, and will continue to provide, all required and relevant documentation to the regulatory agencies and governmental bodies conducting the permitting process for our proposed research pier, said Sarah Delage, assistant vice president of communications.
During his commentary before the council, Angers also criticized former city manager James Bennett for removing both the city’s harbormaster and assistant harbor master from the review process of UNE’s application last year.
“Well, lo, and behold, he [Bennett] then appointed a railroad engineer with no local knowledge of the river to approve the plan,” Angers said.
Angers declined to speculate if he will be able to find support from his fellow planning board members to table the university’s application.
“I just did what I thought needed to be done,” Angers said. “The people of Biddeford need to know how the city is handling this affair.”
Angers said he was not able to complete his remarks, but offered a strong suggestion for Mayor Marty Grohman and members of the council.
“If this passes at the Planning Board, the mayor and city council should take a hard look at this project and ask themselves if they think everything is on the up and up,” Angers said. “All that matters to me is that we have transparency and a willingness to consider the impacts on mooring owners and other people in that area.”
“We’ll see how it goes tomorrow,” he said. “This is just my opinion.”
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Randy Seaver is the editor and founder of the Biddeford Gazette. He may be contacted by email: randy@randyseaver.com
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Following a rather tense and emotionally-charged discussion, the Biddeford Planning Board voted 3-2 Wednesday to give preliminary site approval for the University of New England’s proposed research pier.
The controversial pier proposal has generated widespread public discourse for more than a year, even before the application was formally submitted in June 2024.
This aerial photograph shows the proposed location of the University of New England’s proposed research pier (UNE Photo)
This aerial photograph shows the proposed location of the University of New England’s proposed research pier (UNE Photo)
Opponents – including area fishermen, private mooring owners and neighbors – have consistently said they wanted the university to consider an alternative location that was proposed by Harbormaster Paul Lariviere nearly two years ago.
City Attorney Harry Center, however, told board members that the so-called “alternative location” was not part of UNE’s application and thus, not subject to review and/or approval by the board.
City Planner David Galbraith began the discussion with an emotional statement, saying he has been vilified by project opponents and that “personal attacks” have called into question both his integrity and professionalism.
“I have been doing this for 30 years, and I have never been subjected to such malicious comments,” Galbraith told the board. “I and others involved in the review of this proposal have gone out of our way to be open, transparent and accommodating.”
Galbraith told the board that he was especially angry about a recent YouTube video that was posted by a anonymous Facebook page known as “UNE Pier Review.”
“Frankly, I am appalled,” Galbraith said. “I assure you that my integrity is worth much more than what any developer could offer me.”
“I have been doing this for 30 years, and I have never been subjected to such malicious comments.”
— City Planner David Galbraith
Planning Board Member Susan Deschambault reminded her fellow board members that the university’s proposal has already been reviewed and approved by several other agencies, including the Saco River Corridor Commission, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S, Army Corps of Engineers.
But alternate board member Kayla Lewis said she could understand why opponents and other members of the public were feeling angry and frustrated.
“UNE did exactly what they were supposed to do in submitting their application to us,” Lewis said. “But we also have to acknowledge and recognize that this review process has had a shaky foundation. Somewhere along the line, things got very blurred.”
Roch Angers was one of the two board members who voted against approval of the project.
“I have a lot of mixed feelings about the process,” Angers said. “But that has nothing to do with our city planner, who I think has done an outstanding job.”
Center told the board that the city’s ordinances are clear and that there is no legal basis for consideration of potential impacts to mooring owners or fishermen in the Shoreland Zoning Ordinance. Center also told the board that any concerns about the harbormaster being removed from the review process were also not relevant for the board’s consideration.
Resident Kyle Noble questioned why the Planning Board was even considering the application after what he described as a “faulty review process.”
“This is a once in a lifetime project,” Noble told the board. “And it’s forever.”
A UNE spokesperson said the university was pleased about the board’s preliminary vote.
“We were also encouraged by the comments made by city staff and planning board members correcting a number of false statements that have been made about the project,” said Sarah Delage, associate vice president of communications for the university. “We look forward to a final vote at the next meeting.”
John Schafer, the former chair of Biddeford’s Harbor Commission, has been a leading opponent of the university’s proposal.
“Obviously, I am very disappointed,” Shafer said during a brief interview Thursday. “There was a lot of misinformation thrown at the board and they acted mostly in lock-step. From my perspective, it seems that their decision was already made before the meeting started.”
NOTE: Board members Roch Angers and Matt Dubois voted in opposition to the application; Board Members Larry Patoine and Susan Deschambault voted in favor of the application. Board Chair Alexa Plotkin broke the tie, voting in the affirmative for the applicant (UNE). Kayla Lewis is an alternate, non-voting member of the board.
Randy Seaver is the editor and founder of the Biddeford Gazette. He may be contacted by email: randy@randyseaver.com
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BIDDEFORD GAZETTE 