The Hampden Town Council has had problems for many years, long before I ever was elected to the Town Council. The previous mayor was removed after one month in office. The two mayors who preceded me in office resigned for personal reasons.
Hampden received negative publicity this year for having two councilors who refused to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. We had councilors who refused to show up for a council meeting because they were protesting their pay being cut. Our hardworking town manager also was publicly humiliated by a councilor just for doing her job.
The job of mayor has been challenging, especially having to deal with councilors who seem to have so much abhorrence for anyone who remotely disagrees with them.
The title of mayor is often misunderstood. In most major cities, the mayor runs the city. In Hampden, the mayor’s responsibility is to chair Hampden Town Council meetings. The members of the council elect a new mayor each January.
The mayor chooses committee chairs. I chose councilors who I felt would always be respectful to the public and to fellow councilors. I have two Democratic committee chairs, one Republican committee chair and one independent committee chair. Since politically I am an independent, I wanted to keep things fair and balanced.
I have been recently criticized for missing unofficial functions. When you are a working mother of five children, three of whom have disabilities, it is hard to find time to attend all unofficial events. If I could not attend, I made sure someone from the Town Council attended.
I know I have made some mistakes, as all politicians do, but in my two years on the Town Council, I have never said a negative thing about another person by name at a council meeting or to the press. I have never been rude, disrespectful or discourteous to another councilor or a member of the public. I might have criticized someone’s vote — as a politician, that is fair game. If another councilor wants to criticize me for any of my votes that is fine, but it should always be done respectfully.
When we resort to name-calling and personal attacks, the public starts to lose faith in their government, and it gives our outstanding town a bad name.
For the past year, I have had horrible lies told about my husband and me, been mocked, ridiculed, my motives questioned, my children criticized, and I have been told to my face that I cannot handle the job as mayor because I am a woman.
In my 10 years in the U.S. Navy, I got used to dealing with chauvinist co-workers who dislike women in positions of authority.
It would be so easy for me to spill the beans to the press about the members of the Town Council that are out to humiliate me daily, but I will not participate in their nasty politics of personal destruction. I have so much dirt on them I could fill seven BDN columns, but I simply will not stoop to that pathetic level.
Instead, I will focus on the great things in my first year as mayor that we have accomplished.
I came to the Hampden Town Council with one agenda item: to make Hampden the best place in Maine to live and afford to raise a family.
I am proud that Hampden has been selected as the best place in Maine for young families by www.nerdwallet.com. Also this year, Downeast Magazine ranked Hampden the sixth best place in Maine to live. We must be doing something right on the Town Council if the community we govern is getting positive national attention and statewide praise.
The Hampden Town Council, despite its problems, has had a very productive year. Visit www.HampdenMaine.gov to view a list of our 2014 major accomplishments. There are simply too many to list here.
I wish to publicly thank councilors Jean Lawlis, Ivan McPike, David Ryder and Gregory Sirois for respectfully working with me to get so much done for our residents this year.
Hampden is the absolute best place in Maine to raise a family. Please do not judge Hampden on the actions of a couple of soon to be retired politicians.
Mayor Carol Duprey is the chairwoman of the Hampden Town Council.