The Lisbon Reporter

WELCOME TO THE LISBON REPORTER. In an effort to keep our community informed of what is going on at local and Federal levels of government, we decided to create this on-line newspaper. It is our hope that this on-line newspaper will help you stay informed so that you can get involved and take action for the benefit of our ENTIRE community. Thank you for visiting and please check back frequently for information about what is happening in LISBON/LISBON FALLS, MAINE USA

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

You Sure They're Not Talking About Lisbon? theMaineWIRE: MaineHousing Board Meeting: Security Detail and The Great Wall of Boxes

MaineHousing Board Meeting: Security Detail and The Great Wall of Boxes

by Terrilyn Simpson

It was high jinks and raucous theater — from the feigned insecurity of the security detail to Dale’s Great Wall of Boxes. The orchestration unfolded before the press — with McCormick in the lead role, as star, director and producer.

It was the January board of commissioners meeting at the Maine State Housing Authority — and MSHA Director Dale McCormick had set the stage. To start with, she’d addressed the eighth item on the agenda to intimidate and control just as visitors got feet through the door.

There had been complaints previously that visitors were not being allowed unhindered access to public meetings at MaineHousing — allowed by law. At a former board meeting, legally categorized as open to the public — which includes press — visitors were made to remain in the crowded lobby until after the meeting started. They were then ushered upstairs to the meeting room, where they were seated, or left standing when the chairs ran out, at a far end of the conference room, under an overhang which made hearing the proceedings difficult.

At a subsequent meeting, friendly members of the press were ushered in early; those who had scrutinized, in print, McCormick’s running of the agency were forced to wait — with a staff member threatening, in one instance, to have a questioner of the heavy-handed tactics removed by the police if another question was raised. At a later meeting, where press was denied access, and a MSHA security officer was asked why, the response echoed what had clearly been established as the attitude of MSHA Central — “It’s an invitation only meeting.” Since that had been very much the attitude demonstrated by MSHA officials overall, regarding both meetings and public records, it was difficult to determine how this particular invitation-only meeting should be legally categorized.