Road commissioner faces recall in Madison

Aug. 29—MADISON — Voters in Madison are expected to decide soon if Road Commissioner Michael Gordon will keep his job.

The September recall election marks the second time in the past two years that an elected official has faced a recall in this Somerset County town. Former Selectman Glen Mantor was recalled in March 2023.

Polls are scheduled to be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 5, at the Old Point Avenue School at 108 Old Point Ave. Parking is available at 23 Locust St.

Voters can get absentee ballots through Friday at the Town Office at 26 Weston Ave., or by calling the town clerk at 207-696-5622.

The first question on the ballot asks voters if they wish to recall Gordon, who was elected in June 2023 to a three-year term overseeing the Madison Highway Department.

The next part of the ballot instructs those who voted "yes" to choose from two candidates who submitted nomination papers — Leon Dorr II and Jeffrey Wright — or to write in another person.

If a majority of voters choose to recall Gordon in the first question, the candidate with the most votes will become road commissioner until the remainder of the term, which expires in June 2026. If a majority chooses not to recall Gordon, the final tally on the second question does not matter, according to Town Clerk Cheyenne Stevens.

Stevens said she crafted the ballot language in consultation with the Maine Municipal Association. The town has been following the process specified in its ordinances, she said.

'A LACK OF ABILITY'

A group of five registered voters in Madison submitted to the town a petition to recall Gordon. They obtained sufficient signatures, as required by the town's ordinance, which was 10% of the number of voters who participated in the last gubernatorial election. In this case, that was 195, Stevens said at a Select Board meeting earlier this year.

The members of the petitioners' committee were Scott Hooley of Pine Street, Devon Trahan of Longley Road, Jason Wallace of Walker Road, Michael Plourdell of Main Street and Devon Marcoux of Preble Avenue.

A brief statement in their affidavit specifies their reasons for the recall petition.

"The Petitioners Committee strongly believes that Mr. Michael Gordon as road commissioner has displayed a lack of ability in the areas of planning, budgeting, personnel management, safety, and general understanding of how to oversee the highway department," the affidavit reads.

The road commissioner is responsible for leading a highway department that maintains 50 miles of local roads, according to the town's website. The department has a crew of five full-time employees and, typically, three seasonal employees, Town Manager Denise Ducharme said.

In a recent interview, Gordon said he does not know those who organized the petition, and has not received complaints directly from them since he took the job a year ago.

"I'm baffled by it," he said, "and many, many other people are baffled by it, too."

This winter was difficult for the highway department, Gordon said, because two longtime employees retired last fall, not long after he was elected.

"It was kind of a rough first winter, trying to get things down with new guys, and trying to get things the way they're supposed to be," Gordon said. "That's kind of expected the first winter."

Ducharme, who as town manager does not oversee the road commissioner because it is an elected position, said the Town Office received several complaints this winter about the leadership of the highway department.

Residents' complaints included that unlike past years, some roads were not cleared or treated properly, Ducharme said, and some roads were not plowed in a timely manner, delaying the beginning of the school day in some cases.

"This is not on the road crew. This is on the leadership of the road crew — the complaints came in against the leadership of the road crew," said Ducharme, who in her official capacity is remaining neutral regarding the recall election. "These are not my complaints. These are not my words. This is what was reported to me."

Complaints about roads received by the Town Office are usually referred to Gordon to be addressed, Ducharme said.

Despite the challenges this winter, Gordon pointed to accomplishments — in the areas specified in the petition — since he became road commissioner in 2023.

Regarding planning, Gordon said he planned all aspects of the department's operations, though he recognized losing two experienced employees was a challenge. Regarding budgeting, Gordon said the department ended the last fiscal year with 92% of its operating budget spent, a figure that Ducharme confirmed.

Regarding personnel management, Gordon said he posts tasks and schedules each day for his crew, and he took a five-day management class offered by the Maine Municipal Association and the Maine Department of Transportation, among other courses. Regarding safety, Gordon said he upgraded the department's signs and cones, and employees keep up with required safety courses.

"There is no proof whatsoever of any of it," Gordon said of the recall petition, "so I don't understand how this whole thing came about, besides a group of people just didn't care for me."

THE CANDIDATES

Gordon, 47, of Solon grew up and attended school in Madison. He said he grew up helping his father maintain roads.

Before becoming Madison's road commissioner, Gordon worked for the Skowhegan Highway Department for four years. Gordon said he wanted to take that experience to Madison when the road commissioner's position opened up following the November 2022 resignation of Wright, who is running in the recall election.

Gordon was appointed in May 2023, before he ran for the post the following month, Ducharme said.

"I just decided, 'Well, I'd like to try something new,' and decided this would be a good opportunity," Gordon said.

The two candidates running in the recall election said they are qualified for the leadership position.

Dorr, 47, of Madison owns an excavation company and worked for the highway department this winter on a seasonal basis.

Dorr, who goes by the nickname "Hoss," said he has worked in construction for 30 years, including 10 years as a project manager.

He said people in town asked him to run in the election, and he wants to serve his community.

"The reason I'm running for road commissioner is because I have a vested interest in our town, with a child in the school system, being a property owner in the town and my business is in this town," Dorr said. "I also feel that the people need somebody in this position that is in it to serve the town and not themselves."

Working for the department this winter, Dorr said he took it upon himself to provide updates on social media about plowing and other operations.

"Communicating with the public is the best way to prevent people from automatically thinking the worst," he said.

Dorr declined to comment on his opinion of Gordon's performance as road commissioner.

Wright, 62, of Madison was Madison's road commissioner for two years before he resigned in late 2022. Before that, he worked for the highway department for 27 years.

Wright, who now works as an equipment operator at Madison manufacturer TimberHP, said he would bring back practices and standards from his time with the department. Wright said that since he has left the town, the highway department has lacked leadership and accountability.

"There's got to be leadership, like there was," Wright said, "and being out on time to get on the road so people can get to work in the morning in the wintertime."

This winter, under Gordon's supervision, roads were not cleared in a timely fashion, Wright said. He declined to elaborate on his other concerns.

"I'm not a guy to make a big stir about things," Wright said. "I am not a highlight, front-page guy, so I like to keep it as low-key as possible."

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