While perusing minutes of the Portland Finance Committee, I note that City Councilor Nick Mavodones, chairman of that committee, has been voting on line-item appropriations in the budget for subsidies to Casco Bay Lines, where  Mavodones has been operations manager for over 20 years. His willingness to vote on issues that create a potential conflict of interest has not been limited to his role on the Finance Committee. While serving as mayor in 2007, Mavodones refused to recuse himself from voting on developers’ proposals for the Maine State Pier, which included different financial offers to Casco Bay Lines. As Kevin Donoghue, councilor at that time said, “The (developers) offering the best rent for (Casco Bay Lines) may not be the best bet for the City of Portland.” Mavodones has shown, time and time again, that he has put his company’s interests above those of the citizens he represents.

Scott Vonnegut
Portland

Copy the Story Link

Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.