Dress habits of councilors spark feud in Maine city
11/18/09 | 12 comments

Dress habits of councilors spark feud in Maine city


By The Associated Press

Dress habits spark feud in Maine city

AUBURN, Maine — Auburn's mayor-elect says councilors in the Maine city sometimes look like they just walked out of a barn when they attend their meetings.

Councilors object to the pre-election jab made last month by Dick Gleason — and now they're scaling back the mayor-elect's Dec. 7 inauguration.

Gleason tells the Sun Journal of Lewiston that he stands by his statements. He's not asking for jackets and ties at council meetings. But he says councilors sometimes come in jeans and shorts, and that sets a poor example for the public.

Councilor Dan Herrick says clothes don't make the man. Herrick says he's never come to a meeting without taking a shower. As he put it, "Believe it or not, I have hot water, too. I even have floors in my home."

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AUBURN, Maine (AP) — Auburn's mayor-elect says councilors in the Maine city sometimes look like they just walked out of a barn when they attend their meetings.

Councilors object to the pre-election jab made last month by Dick Gleason — and now they're scaling back the mayor-elect's Dec. 7 inauguration.

Gleason tells the Sun Journal of Lewiston that he stands by his statements. He's not asking for jackets and ties at council meetings. But he says councilors sometimes come in jeans and shorts, and that sets a poor example for the public.

Councilor Dan Herrick says clothes don't make the man. Herrick says he's never come to a meeting without taking a shower. As he put it, "Believe it or not, I have hot water, too. I even have floors in my home."

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Comments
12 comments on this item
On 11/18/09 at 10:41 AM, MaineSurvivor2 wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

If the date was April 1st, I would think this article was a joke. Really folks, lighten up. Life is too short.

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On 11/18/09 at 10:49 AM, Ruralgirl wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

I cannot believe that this tory made the Assoicated Press, no wonder people think

the people of Maine are hicks !!!!

Shame on BDN for continuing to make Mainers look bad.

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On 11/18/09 at 11:21 AM, schoonerdog wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Am I seeing double?

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On 11/18/09 at 12:33 PM, SantiniSpagoandSpike wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Realizing that appearing at council meetings is more important than appearances at council meetings, it should be mentioned that appropriate attire for public business meetings should always be made protocol.

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On 11/18/09 at 2:56 PM, Mainefriend wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

This is stupid!!! The way that you dress does not effect the way that a person conduct business. It does effect the perception of the people but in all seriousness. Life is TOO SHORT to worry about this stuff! If they contribute whole heartedly and are making sound descisions with good judgement that is much more important than wearing the proper attire for public business meetings. DANG! MAN! dem dere rednecks still purty smat der you me!!!

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On 11/18/09 at 3:36 PM, NewYorkGuy wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

There should be nothing wrong with wearing the clothes worn at honest work, providing those same clothes are not so dirty as to be offensive.

In fact, I like the idea.

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On 11/18/09 at 4:18 PM, chersully2000 wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

It is preferable when one takes some pride in one's appearance; that does not have to translate to expensive clothing, but it is more appealing to see people who take some pride in how they dress and present themselves.

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On 11/18/09 at 5:27 PM, Beelzebubba wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

I would much rather see my elected official looking as though they had stepped out of a barn...stepping out of a lawyer's office creates much more excrement.

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On 11/18/09 at 6:47 PM, sandih wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

OMG, are you kidding me! Maybe those people who require a dress code, should loosen their ties a bit, and deal with the issues at hand, instead of dealing with what kind of impression they can make. I'm sure the people would rather hear how the "brain" is working, not what the "suit" is trying to say.

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On 11/18/09 at 8:05 PM, arrogantdan wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

I like the fact that the councilors have work clothes on at the meetings, it shows that they are everyday working people who understand the" real world " we live in. To bad all government elected officials didn't dress this way too !

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On 11/19/09 at 10:05 AM, Mainefriend wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

All show and no go = NO GO AND ALL SHOW!!!

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On 11/19/09 at 1:51 PM, MDIGuy wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

I agree with mayor-elect Gleason: Male councilors shouldn't wear dresses to public meetings. ;)

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