Protestors of Sen. Susan Collins disrupted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday morning for the completion of a years-long road renovation in downtown Searsport.
They yelled over speeches by Collins, Maine’s Republican senator, and other officials and forced organizers to relocate the outdoor event to the inside of Town Hall. Collins eventually made some remarks celebrating the project and the federal funds that made it possible. She briefly acknowledged the protesters during her remarks — without responding to their specific attacks — and individually spoke to some of them afterward.
The road project that was being celebrated on Tuesday was a massive undertaking in Searsport. It required about 21 years of planning, according to Town Manager James Gillway, with the bulk of construction happening along Route 1 in recent years. Among other things, it reconstructed downtown sidewalks, added streetside lighting and a new center turning lane, and repaved roads long overdue for upgrade. It just recently wrapped up.
But the more than 100 protesters who showed up to the event weren’t immediately concerned with the celebration of benefits that project will bring to businesses, residents and visitors of the region.
While the ribbon cutting was originally scheduled to take place in front of Edwards Brothers Supermarket, the officials instead decided to move it to the municipal building as protesters held up handmade signs and yelled chants to protest Collins. They argued that she was complicit in Israel’s war against Gaza and had given support to the recent Republican megabill that, among other things, cut Medicaid — although Collins voted against it.
Daniel Beaton, a protester who identified himself as a military veteran, took aim at what he argued were her contributions to Israel’s war and the resulting food crisis in Gaza.
“I’m here to have my voice heard. To say that genocide, and the starvation of children is wrong,” Beaton said in an interview before the ceremony. “I think it’s rich that Susan Collins would be within a stone’s throw of a supermarket while a dozen children starved to death last night.”
The hijacking of the local event was an example of growing frustration on the left wing of the country about the Trump administration’s impact in Washington — even against members of the president’s party like Collins who have bucked him on some occasions.
The protestors initially lined East Main Street before the 10 a.m. ceremony, with some passing drivers honking in solidarity. When officials decided to move the event indoors, the protesters followed and filled the back of the room.
As Collins took the floor to address the crowd, the demonstrators chanted, “Shame! Shame! Shame!” Collins attempted to regain control and cooperation from the crowd for several minutes before beginning her speech, promising to respond to the concerns from the crowd after her formal address.
“I’m very proud of having worked with state, local, and community officials to have secured $9.2 million that made this project possible,” Collins said.
“I think the people of Searsport deserve our applause, our thanks…” she went on, but was cut off as the protestors then gave a round of applause that they signaled was just meant for local officials.
“We love Searsport,” one resident said. “It was a mistake to invite you here.”
After Collins got through her remarks and the event ended, she moved carefully to the back of the room and, as promised, spoke quietly to protestors who voiced their concerns. She also shook hands with attendees who had not joined the protest and hugged several young girls.
Later on Tuesday, while speaking to reporters during an event in Augusta, Collins addressed the protest in Searsport.
“I think, and I know, that most people in Searsport are extremely happy with the investment that I was able to secure to redo the streets and the brick sidewalks, and I’ve gotten many positive comments,” Collins said. “Demonstrators seem to be part of the political world nowadays. I talked with many of the demonstrators afterwards and tried to answer their questions. It was interesting to see how much misinformation that they had.”
The other speakers at the event in Searsport included Gillway and Dale Doughty, acting commissioner of the Maine Department of Transportation, which oversaw the $17.8 million project.
During his remarks, Gillway sought to lower the temperature and draw attention back to the road project that he said will improve driving, walking, and living conditions in Searsport, as it tries to ride the wave of a new business renaissance in the downtown.
“This is not a political rally. This is a celebration of us accomplishing a major, major accomplishment. Searsport has been waiting for decades, literally decades, to be rebuilt,” Gillway said. “… It’s an invitation for business, it’s an invitation for tourism, and we really want to celebrate that. That’s why we’re here.”
After the event, in an interview, Gillway added, “I certainly welcome people who want to voice their opinion, but you can’t voice your opinion and drown out the good workers that we’re going to hold today.”
BDN writer Billy Kobin contributed reporting.
