Procedural argument delays Scarborough Council's vote on Gorham Connector

Sep. 18—A push by some Scarborough town councilors to formally withdraw support for the controversial Gorham Connector fizzled out at a heavily attended and emotional meeting Wednesday night after councilors opposed to the highway failed to secure enough votes to add a last-minute resolution to the agenda.

Councilor Donald Cushing had put forth a request to add a new resolution to the Town Council's agenda titled "Withdraw Town of Scarborough's Support From the Gorham Connector as Proposed by the Maine Turnpike Authority," citing public opposition and shifting traffic trends.

But when he attempted to bring his resolution before the council, he and other councilors fell into a lengthy back-and-forth over how meeting agendas are set and the value of rules surrounding council procedure.

Suspending the rules and adding a new item to the agenda requires a five-member supermajority of the seven-person board.

Councilors voted 4-3 in favor of adding Cushing's resolution — just shy of that threshold. Instead, chairperson Nicholas McGee said the body would take action on it at the next meeting on Oct. 2.

Cushing called the debate "parliamentary hoo-ha."

The council's regular meeting followed a workshop during which officials from the Maine Department of Transportation and the Maine Turnpike Authority spoke about the project's history and attempted to respond to common concerns regarding the proposed four-lane, 5-mile toll highway.

Much of the criticism voiced Wednesday night centered around potential impacts to Smiling Hill Farm, which lies directly in the connector's proposed path.

During the nearly 30-minute procedural discussion, Vice-Chair April Sither said the council has not historically acted on items on the same night of a given workshop.

"That gives the council time to digest what we've heard at the workshop," she said. "That was the rationale, there's nothing nefarious happening from my perspective."

McGee said Cushman's resolution had not been properly presented to the community and that it would be "disingenuous" to request public comment "when we've already got a baked solution ready to go."

The crowd, which filled the meeting room and included at least a dozen people in matching "Help Save Smiling Hill Farm" T-shirts, grew increasingly agitated as the meeting went on. At several points, councilors paused their remarks and asked attendees to refrain from making outbursts during their deliberations.

Councilor Jon Anderson, who had drafted his own resolution against the connector, said pushing the vote to the council's next meeting was "delaying the inevitable."

Councilor Karin Shupe agreed, arguing that the turnpike authority did not provide any new information during its presentation, which largely featured previously disclosed material and faced the same criticism that's been brewing for months.

But Councilor Jean-Marie Caterina pushed back and said she "heard some new things tonight from the turnpike authority," including a willingness to consider swapping the four-lane highway proposal for a two-lane option.

Caterina noted that the authority had for years been under the leadership of Peter Mills, who retired this month, and said it has recently emphasized a new commitment to transparency in its planning process.

She said she was not sure how to vote but knew she needed more time to make up her mind. She paused briefly, asking the crowd to stop booing her, before saying she wanted the resolution added to the next agenda to maintain the standard protocol.

Caterina said some of her constituents support the connector but do not feel comfortable saying so publicly.

"I have neighbors who want this connector, who are afraid to come to these meetings," Caterina said. "It's scary to speak in public. It's scary when you've got organized opposition."

Looking toward the Oct. 2 meeting, McGee asked Cushing and Anderson to work together to write a new resolution, merging the two they each had proposed. Anderson interrupted McGee, saying he would not work on any further drafts.

"I've worked on it enough. I'm done," he said.

Councilors Don Hamill, Shupe, Cushman and Anderson voted to suspend the rules and add the agenda item, with McGee, Caterina and Sither opposed.

Earlier, as the workshop concluded and the council prepared to begin its regular meeting, McGee asked how many in the crowd would be more open to a connector design that avoids the historic farm. A handful of attendees put up their hands.

Then, the chair asked, "How many are just flat-out opposed to any connector?"

Most members of the crowd raised their hands — including some people who indicated seconds earlier that they would be open to it.

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