By Wayne E. Rivet

Staff Writer

HARRISON — Cass Newell nearly reached a breaking point.

Harassment and bullying via social media, as well as incidents at her home she found as threatening her personal safety, pushed Newell to seriously consider resigning as Harrison’s town manager last week.

In an emotional conversation with citizens attending the Select Board meeting (June 13), Newell said, “Forgive me, this is hard for me. The level of harassment I have received is not a joke. My safety has been compromised. I have been followed more times than I can count. It’s all documented. One of our deputies actually witness an incident that occurred. It obviously changes how I do things when this occurs...This has been going on for a long time. I don’t need sympathy. That’s not what I’m trying to elicit...I thought it was time that I said something because if it exists with me, it can exist with the staff and any of you. I feel like if someone is willing to do that to me, then they’re willing to do it to the rest of you. That’s not fair. I wouldn’t feel like I was doing right by this town by not saying something, especially if somebody actually got hurt.”

Police reports have been filed. Incidents have been captured on surveillance cameras.

“I am here because I want to do what is best for this town. I don’t always get it right. Often, I get it wrong, but I also feel like in that same sentence, I hear it all the time, you’re at the top and the blame goes to the top. I am also blamed for breathing, that’s how I feel,” she said.

Social media has played “a huge role” in giving some members of the public a vehicle to bully and harass.

“I’ve often been told don’t look at social media. If I don’t look at social media and someone’s talking about something that relates to my home and I miss it, then I’m not paying attention to something that I could do to protect my safety,” she explained. “I’ve gone to great lengths to do my best to ignore it, but it still happens. It’s a small group, and it seems relentless sometimes.”

When Newell says the job means more to her than the salary she receives, she means it.

“I certainly don’t do it for the money. I called the state when I first took this job and I tried not to take the salary. The chairman was aware of that. The state didn’t allow me to do that because I was considered a volunteer at that point. I thought it would be nice to be able to actually say that I’m not in it for the money and actually back that up. I’m actually not in it for the money. I’m here because I want to be here. I want be here every single day. I want to be here,” said Newell, who noted that she has a “good Navy pension” that covers her finances.   

Former Rec Director Paula Holt chastised residents for their unruly behavior.

“In my 21 years working here for three different town managers, I have never, ever seen the level of harassment and bullying that this town manager has put up with. It is absolutely awful. Social media attacking her character, the board’s character. What is wrong? I’m confused. It’s personal. They’re out to get Cass and it needs to stop,” she said. “The board needs to support her more than ever. We need to get the word out that she is a kind, caring, passionate town manager who has done nothing but was is best for this town, and for the children.”

Holt praised the manager’s work.

“I wish I was the (rec) director right now under this leader because, to me, she has got it going. She follows everything legal where other town managers did not. She follows everything by the law, and some people don’t like that. The harassment has to end. The bullying has to end, it really does. It’s just embarrassing. I feel for her.”

Not understanding where the disdain for Newell is coming from, Holt added that no matter who occupies the town manager’s seat, someone will likely not support the individual “for some reason.”

Select Board Chairman Matt Frank called the actions of some citizens at town meeting toward Newell as “totally inappropriate.”

“If you saw the Internet today, it was even worse,” he added. “If you have a problem with Cass or with me or any department head, call the town office, make an appointment and we can sit down and talk face-to-face about whatever the issue is. Just attacking people on the Internet when you don’t know what you’re talking about isn’t right. They tell you (via social media) what’s going on in the town office and they’ve never been in the town office. A lot of them are just off the wall.”

Newell noted Naples lost its manager, John Hawley, when he tired of public negativity.

Resident Kathy Laplante set the tone earlier in the meeting during public participation.

“I need to say something about last night (at the annual town meeting). I was totally embarrassed and disappointed in the citizens of the town of Harrison for the reaction I saw. I saw hatred and discontent,” she said.

When she and her husband, Ray, moved to Harrison in the late ’70s, she found “a friendly village” that they felt welcomed to. “People were good,” Laplante said.

Both Laplantes wanted to be involved in their community, so they served on the Select Board. Ray became EMA director and member of the fire department. Kathy joined several committees, and represented Harrison on the SAD 17 School Board.

Then, Harrison changed.

“I truly feel that a couple of years ago, something happened in this town, a cancer started and it is spreading. It is killing our town. My hope is that this new (Select) Board will look at that. I know the town manager has worked very hard to try and do community things... It’s very emotional for me. It really is to see this town deteriorating, hatred and discontent and things that aren’t true are being said and are being fed. I think it needs to stop. I hope this new (Select) Board will work with the town manager and get our town back to being a friendly village because it isn’t anymore.”

Newell thanked for the support and kind words she received. “I appreciate that,” she said. “This job means everything to me.”

Ultimately, her staff is the main reason Newell decided against resigning.

“The staff — they’re the best people...I think the world of every single one of them. They’re the best thing that happened to me. They’re why I am here today. They’re why I didn’t resign. I don’t want to go anywhere else because I love it here. I own my home here. I have a vested interest in being in this town. I’m not going anywhere,” Newell said.

In closing, Newell asked the audience and community leaders to “help me to help the town to fix what’s broken. We have to work together. The bullying and harassment need to stop, not just with me with others too. Someone is going to get hurt. Those people need to know we’re not going to stand for bullying on any level.”

“It needs to stop,” Kathy Laplante said.

“We have your back,” Paula Holt added.

“We appreciate your honesty,” Matt Frank said.

Challenges issued to Select Board

Some members of the public were not the only ones called out for poor behavior.

“I was appalled last night by the lack of support from the (Select) Board for the employees of this town, specifically the administrative employees of this town,” he said. “I don’t know if any of you just didn’t understand the impact of the amendment to the warrant article was going to be, but none of you spoke up.”

Laplante clarified that Board Chairman Matt Frank did attempt to bring back the warrant article funding pay raises for office staff — which had been reduced — at the conclusion of town meeting, but the attempt was voted down.

“It was unfortunate, but it was too little, too late. The Board shouldn’t stand it. The people in that office out there are the ones that provide the service — not the five of you sitting here. You need to support your employees. There will be severe — I guarantee you — severe ramifications of your lack of support.”

Laplante was right. Later, Town Manager Cass Newell informed the public that one office worker had already decided to leave the job due to Wednesday’s vote.

Newly-elected Select Board member Deb Kane, who will be sworn by July 1 and sit at the board table on July 11, felt the board and town manager made several attempts to educate the public regarding the proposed budget (workshop sessions were open to the public), but too few took advantage. Cuts were made on the town meeting floor likely without knowledge of how and why the budget amount was recommended, while others on social media indicated the cut was directed at the town manager, whose salary was included in Office Administration.

“I don’t know what the best way is for us to get the word out. I was embarrassed that it seemed like two-thirds of the people were surprised by the budget, when we did all we could to try to get the word out to them,” Kane said. “One thing I would like us to consider, maybe as a team or going forward, other towns have a finance committee. Maybe we need a finance committee to work with you. I would recommend those two folks (Peter Brown and Renee Carter, who spoke out against proposed increases during town meeting) should be on the finance committee because they have a lot of questions.”

Citizen Mike DiBiase expressed his disappointment in the vote regarding hiring a full-time fire chief.

“I was kind of disappointed in the town. We have a (fire) study that we paid for and I feel the board isn’t supporting that as well as we should be. The fire chief position was shot down by a lot. I feel that was intentional. I feel like the people that were there voting didn’t understand the report that we got,” DiBiase said. “That study tells us step-by-step what we should be doing. I know as a member of the fire department that’s how I’m going to proceed with what I do. However, I feel the board also needs to stand behind that study that we paid for, that you chose. Colleen (Densmore) said it best at one of the meetings about the position. It’s not the who, it’s the what. That’s correct. It’s the position. So, I think you guys up here and the department, as well, will try to work with you so we can help promote that study and follow it because I think that is the direction we should be going. Things are changing, despite the people who want to keep this place back in the forties. We’re not there. We’re moving forward. Last night, I felt like was a big you know, stomp on the brakes. We can do better.”

Chairman Frank felt the $17,000 study was “very professional” and noted that the company representative served as point person at two public information sessions.

“They made what I believe was a strong case for what Harrison needed. Most of the people who voted against it, I didn’t see at either of those two public sessions, and that’s disheartening,” Frank said. “Last year, town meeting wanted us to hire outside consultants to give us recommendations. We did that. We found their advice and then they ignored the advice. Next time, if you just want to say no, save us the $17,000.”

John Wentworth took off his Code Enforcement hat and spoke as a citizen calling for the board to take a stronger stance. Too many times during town meeting, board members deferred to someone else to answer questions regarding budget items rather than explaining why they recommended passage, Wentworth pointed out.

“Whether they listen to you or not, it’s irrelevant to me. But, you are the ones that know. You’ve been through every line item in the budget. Every single one of them. It took you 10 to 15 meetings just to get enough of a consensus to put in an article and let people vote on it. They elect you to do that,” he said. “You need to be strong as a board. You need to project that image. Until you do that, you are going to get people that stand in the back and say, ‘I know more than you do’ and ‘we’re going to cut everything you did.’ They’re just not listening to you. They weren’t at every one of the budget hearings. You guys reviewed everything. I don’t know what made them suddenly experts on it. I didn’t see any experts there other than the ones sitting up front — you guys are the experts.”

Select Board member Colleen Densmore appreciated the public feedback. She then clarified her approach at town meeting.

“I said this to Nate (Sessions) before the meeting that I was going to try not to talk because I wanted to hear what our taxpayers had to say and that’s what I wanted to listen to. Honestly, I thought that we were really only supposed to be speaking when the moderator called on us by the question that was asked. I really had a lot to say last night. I didn’t want to say anything because I wanted to listen to the taxpayers. I think it was probably the best moderated town meeting. I think he (Jason Moen of Casco) did a beyond excellent job with it.”

Densmore agrees the Select Board has hurdles to cross and some tough challenges ahead.

“I am very disappointed in the taxpayers for voting against one department, trying to reduce where it can be reduced. I’m not sure if I were a town employee, what retention would look like for me going forward. I think everybody here works hard. I don’t think that we have a lazy group of people that are misled. I think that we’ve got a wonderful group of people who just need to be supported and respected,” she said. “I think it was extremely disrespectful to cut the administration budget because some people are angry and want to be angry with the account manager. That is over the top. It’s inappropriate. Again, it’s not about the who, it’s about the what. If we take every name out of every position and we only look them at as positions and expectations, then what do we have? It’s that simple.”

Densmore closed out her comments adding, “I don’t think the back-door baloney that goes on in this town is appropriate. I don’t care for it.”