The Legacy Of Lawless Lisbon And Responsibilities

WHO IS RESPONSIBLE?

Who is responsible to ensure citizens are not physically or verbally abused during town council meetings?  

In the Council Working Rules there is a section called “Decorum” which outlines the conduct for Councilors, Town Employees and residents during council meetings.  Paragraph 7a  Decorum states …”All members of the town council shall accord the utmost courtesy to each other, to town employees and to the public members appearing before the town council and shall refrain at all times from rude and derogatory remarks, reflections as to integrity, abusive comments, and statements as to motives and personalities.”… 

 Lisbon Town Councilor Vice-Chair Lori Pomelow

At last night’s town council meeting, Vice-Chair Lori Pomelow verbally attacked me by name during her farewell speech.  In doing so, Vice-Chair Pomelow violated the very Council Working Rules she helped author.  Vice-Chair Pomelow utilized her position as a Public Official to slam a citizen.  This was definitely NOT the right forum for this type of behavior by a Public Official.  Chairman LaRochelle and the remaining council members, having full knowledge of the Council Working Rules, sat there like bumps on a log and allowed Vice-Chair Pomelow to verbally abuse me.   So who is legally responsible for this incident?
 

 Lisbon Town Councilor Chairman Fern Larochelle

 

When I asked the question about the LLC’s owing back taxes in town, Chairman LaRochelle stopped me in the middle of a sentence and asked me if I was intending to embarrass a councilor.    Well, where was he last night during this abusive barrage by Vice-Chair Pomelow on me?  This is the second incident of a Public Official or Town Employee verbally attaching a citizen during a town council meeting and no member of the council attempted to enforce the Council Working Rules.  Chief Brooks did the very same thing to Roger Cote and other citizens.

Lisbon Police Chief David T. Brooks

Can anyone tell me what good having rules are if no one is going to enforce or obey them?  It was Chairman LaRochelle’s duty to stop the verbal assault last night and he did nothing but it is also the remaining councilor’s duty to police their own.  Any one of the remaining council members should have stepped in and stopped this abusive behavior by Vice-Chair Pomelow but instead they did nothing.  In my eyes and hopefully the eyes of the law, they are as legally responsible as Vice-Chair Pomelow. 

I am a big boy and I considered the source but others do not need to receive the verbal abuse while attending town council meetings.  The council working rules are there to protect Councilors, Town Employees and Residents from this outrageous behavior.  Every member of the town council needs to be reprimanded for their part in this unacceptable situation. 

Residents of Lisbon need to come out and express their concerns over this situation before it happens again.  Maybe next time you will be on the receiving end.

Larry Fillmore
Concerned Citizen