MILBRIDGE, Maine — The town’s attorney has formally answered charges of discrimination levied by Mano en Mano, a grass-roots organization that is trying to construct a multifamily housing development in the community.
In the reply filed in U.S. District Court in Bangor, attorney Frederick F. Costlow counters that no discrimination took place. He further echoes in the filing what town officials have said all along: Milbridge was unable to handle such a large project without zoning ordinances. The court document also bolsters residents’ concerns that local jobs and taxes could be lost if the project proceeds.
Mano en Mano claims that a moratorium enacted by voters earlier this year represented discrimination and a violation of civil rights, particularly for low-income Latino farm families that could benefit from the project.
But the town’s response — which is seeking to abort a motion by Mano en Mano to obtain a preliminary injunction against the moratorium — states that the moratorium was rooted in the concerns of local residents related to the tax burden of the project on those local residents, increased competition for jobs in the area, increased traffic, increased strain on local resources, and the effect of problems commonly associated with low-income housing, such as an increase in drug-related problems.
Mano en Mano officials charged in their original lawsuit against Milbridge that a petition circulated before the moratorium was discriminatory because it used the term “minorities.”
However, the court filing states, “Upon review of the petition signed by residents in opposition to the proposed development, the only portion of the statement that reasonably can be construed as one that was “based on racial animus and ethnic stereotypes” reads as follows: “We know the lobster industry is threatened with the added cost of fuel and all it brings. We wish to protect any jobs they may need in the future, not to be given out to minorities that may move into these units.”
In the reply for the town, Costlow said that while Mano en Mano may see this statement as evidence of racially motivated opposition, “it is just as reasonable to understand this statement as support for local workers in need of employment and a desire to ensure that aid to ‘outsiders’ does not take precedence over the financial needs and economic concerns of those local workers. Indeed a review of the entirety of the statement reveals that the opposition to the proposed development was based on concerns related to the low-income status of the potential tenants, not on the race, national origin or familial status of those possible tenants.”
Costlow asserts that the minutes of the April 8 public hearing further supports the town’s case that opposition to the project is based on the economic impact of the proposed development on the town.
Moreover, Costlow stated, the sentiments of a few members of the public cannot be construed to represent the entire town.
Costlow further counters that the affidavit of Anais Tomezsko, executive director of Mano En Mano, provides no further evidence of any discriminatory intent.
“Although Ms. Tomezsko apparently believes that the opposition to the proposed development is based on racial animus, ethnic stereotypes and the familial status of poor farm workers, she has not provided any actual evidence of discriminatory intent in enacting a six-month moratorium on multi-family development, particularly when the town does not currently have any zoning or building ordinances that are specific to multi-family units.”
Costlow said that Bangor Daily News articles provided by Mano en Mano show that Milbridge has a history of openness and accommodation with respect to Latinos.
In one article, resident Lena McKenney made it clear that, in her opinion, the opposition to the project was not racially motivated. In the same article, Beth Russet, a board member of Mano En Mano, stated, “Milbridge has been recognized for making people feel welcome … People have felt welcome. They like the school system. They like the community.”
Currently the town is allowing Mano en Mano’s $1 million federally financed project to proceed through the planning board process under an agreement reached in federal court between all parties. No construction can begin, however, as long as the six-month moratorium remains in place.