HAMPDEN, Maine — Mayor Carol Duprey was the subject of heavy backlash Monday night from fellow town councilors, other elected officials and residents in the aftermath of negative campaign robocalls made last week by a political action committee she and her husband, Rep. Brian Duprey, established in August.
“On Sept. 30, as a private citizen and not as a member of the Hampden Town Council, I paid for political robocalls to inform voters that their town councilor voted to raise their taxes. I did not use my name or my title in the call. I’ve been involved in robocalls in the past,” Duprey said at the start of a lengthy apology.
“I understand that this year’s call caused some confusion among citizens who thought the town was calling them about their taxes [being due on the following day]. I paid out of my own pocket for another robocall this evening to apologize for my poor timing of the previous call and for any confusion that I caused the citizens,” she said, apologizing to the town manager and staff.
She also apologized to Councilor Ivan McPike, who was one of the targets of the negative campaign calls, “for not being completely truthful when he asked me about the robocall. He asked me if I hired the company to call and I said no because actually the PAC paid for the call.”
Duprey said she since has reimbursed the PAC for the robocalls, “so in truth, I am the one solely responsible for the content of the calls.” She also returned donations made to the PAC, noting, “They had no knowledge that the PAC was doing negative calls.”
“This has nothing to do with partisan politics. I am not nor have I ever been a tea party member or a [Hampden Association of Landowners] member. Politically I’m an independent. I find both parties equally nauseating,” she said.
Noting that many in the community are struggling to make ends meet, Duprey said, “These are the people that I work for. Not everyone in Hampden drives a fancy car and that includes me. I am not on the Hampden Town Council to make friends. I don’t really care if anyone dislikes me as long as I can look my constituents in the eye and let them know I did everything I can to make sure that they can live in the community that they love.”
Despite the chaos, Duprey said she intends to continue funding robocalls in the future.
“From now on, I will proudly spend my own money as a private citizen and not use a political action committee,” she said. “I will not apologize for holding people accountable for their votes. I can promise you I’ll be spending more time and money in years to come warning citizens about how their local elected officials have voted.”
The robocalls were discussed during Monday night’s council meeting at the request of Councilor Thomas Brann, who also asked that the council conduct a no-confidence vote on the mayor.
The vote, however, did not take place because the town’s attorney, Thomas Russell, said the item had not been properly noticed. Brann formally requested that an executive session be placed on the agenda for the next council meeting for the purpose of discussing, among other things, if the mayor had violated the council’s code of ethics.
During Monday’s meeting, Councilor William Shakespeare called on Duprey to resign from her position as mayor and from the council, but she did not do so.
The robocalls targeted Councilors Jean Lawlis and Ivan McPike, who are two of the eight candidates in Hampden’s Town Council elections on Nov. 4.
The calls went out to Hampden residents last Tuesday night.
The robocalls were paid for by the Republican Leadership and Training Fund, a PAC registered with the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics & Election Practices on Aug. 11 by Hampden Mayor Carol Duprey and her husband, who also is a candidate for the Regional School Unit 22 board seat in local elections Nov. 4.
“This is a friendly reminder that your Hampden property taxes are due by 7 p.m. tomorrow. Hampden property taxes have increased over 10 percent in the last two years,” said the female voice on the robocall, a recording of which was obtained by the Bangor Daily News. “You can thank your Hampden Town Councilor Ivan McPike for voting to raise your taxes. It is time for a change. Stephen Wilde is running for Town Council and vows to work hard to reduce Hampden’s tax burden. Please remember to vote for Stephen Wilde on Nov. 4. Thank you. Paid for by RLTF at 207-808-0414. Not authorized by any candidate.”
A similar message went out about Councilor Jean Lawlis to residents of her voting district, according to Lawlis and McPike. Lawlis’ opponent for the District III seat is Philip “Terry” McAvoy.
Ron Hidu was one of several residents who took the mayor to task for the robocalls. Quoting from Duprey’s statement to the Bangor Daily News on the matter, Hidu asked, “Do you feel that the mere appearance of impropriety is actually worse that actual impropriety of spreading grossly oversimplified information about fellow councilors that you work with day in and day out to get things done in this town?
“This is not the U.S. Congress. We’re not debating farm bills,” he said, “We’re trying to get the roads plowed and get our kids educated. These are volunteers that have given their time for the community and [if you think you made the calls as a private citizen], you’re not. You’re a town official. People recognize you and know who you are.”
According to the state’s website, the PAC’s first campaign finance report, filed Sept. 30, shows $1,025 in receipts from Re-Elect Brian Duprey Campaign; PDQ Door, a Hampden company owned by former Hampden state Sen. Debra Plowman’s husband; and Respect Maine, a PAC registered by state Sen. Andre Cushing, a Hampden Republican.
During Monday night’s meeting, Plowman and Cushing both decried the robocalls.
“We asked [for] and we received our money back on Sunday afternoon, and we received our apology,” Plowman said. “I apologized to my employees and to my business partner.
“This is not something that we have ever participated in and would not have,” she said. “This is our community and these are our neighbors and in 22 years of politics, I’ve always been discouraged when I see neighbor against neighbor, no matter what it is. We can disagree without ever attacking neighbors.”