HOULTON, Maine — A Houlton town councilor believes the town manager’s accomplishments are being overshadowed by his recent felony arrest and the surrounding public outrage.
“It’s important for people to maybe take a look at some of the good things that Mr. Clark has done for our town both financially and in many, many ways,” Councilor Erin Matthews said on Wednesday night. “We’re looking at things he’s accomplished in his short term. It’s a lot more than other managers have accomplished in their entire career in Houlton. We had a $200,000 road budget this year and he dug deep and found a way to invest $1.5 million.”
Town Manager Cameron Clark, who was hired earlier this year, was arrested and jailed on Sept. 25 on charges of domestic violence assault and felony victim tampering. He was released from the Aroostook County Jail after posting $1,000 cash bail.
Despite public calls to place him on administrative leave, the majority of town councilors, including Matthews, chose to keep him on the job. Two councilors who disagreed, Jon McLaughlin and Alexis Brown, resigned immediately on Friday, citing ethical and moral concerns.
On Monday, eight Houlton residents notified the town that they will petition for an ordinance to be able to recall elected town officials.
Additionally, the town’s patrolmen and dispatchers sent a letter Tuesday to the Town Council and town manager declaring a loss of confidence in their ability to serve the town.
“Councilors claiming we need him to somehow ‘save the town’ proves this council has completely lost its moral compass,” said Houlton resident Mark Lipscombe, a member of the recall petitioners’ committee. “When your police department expresses no confidence, two councilors quit citing ethics, professional experts urge action, and you still choose loyalty over accountability, you’ve failed the community you claim to represent.”
In the aftermath of Clark’s arrest, Council Chairperson Jane Torres spoke for the governing body as the other members remained silent. But on Wednesday night Matthews broke that silence to defend the council’s decision.
“I’ve got a past in which I was a victim of domestic violence. I wear scars inside and out. I am in no way shape or form condoning domestic violence,” Mathews said. “Nobody on our council is condoning domestic violence in any way.”
At this point in time the councilors have to have very thick skin, Matthews said.
“All of us are losing sleep over this,” she said. “We are spending hours and hours speaking to people, hearing complaints, praises, hearing things that come from the whole spectrum of what anybody feels, believes and wishes to pass along to us.”
Matthews said the council is doing the best it can at this moment to do the right thing for the people they represent and that they are looking at the community as a whole in every decision that they make.
“It’s my thought that our community needs a leader that is able, capable and has proven to be an asset to this town,” she said. “We are in the middle of so many things that we need somebody to be in that job and I will stand by my belief that I still believe he is the best person to be doing that job.”
Putting Clark on administrative leave was discussed, but having him on administrative leave and paying someone else to do the job is not in the best interest of taxpayers, Matthews said.
“I have every faith that Cam is very capable and still able to do his job to the best of his ability,” Matthews said. “I believe he has done amazing things for our town in the last eight months. I do not have any doubt in his ability.”
Lipscombe countered that no one should be so indispensable that felony charges involving violence and abuse of power get dismissed as a private matter.
“Innocent until proven guilty applies in court — but when you’re the head of town government, serious allegations demand accountability, not business as usual,” he said. “That’s not punishment. It’s what public trust requires.”
