WATERVILLE — In a surprise move, City Councilor George Myers Jr., D-Ward 2, resigned his position at Tuesday’s council meeting.

Myers, 59, cited a busy upcoming work schedule that conflicts with council meetings as a reason for resigning, effective Tuesday.

“My last votes as councilor are tonight, though I’ll remain an active resident,” he said.

Myers, director of communications and community outreach for Kennebec Behavioral Health, said that in the coming months he will be spending many weeknights at area town meetings and finance committee meetings as part of his job and many of those meetings are on Tuesdays, when the council meets.

He was appointed to the council Dec. 7, 2010, to fill the unexpired term of Mary-Anne Beal, who moved to Oakland.

Myers, a former Morning Sentinel city editor, said at the time that he did not seek the position but took it out of a sense of obligation to the community after councilors asked him to. They had interviewed three candidates who had expressed interest in the position but still asked Myers to serve, he said.

He was re-elected to the seat in November, defeating opponent Patrick Roy, 345–202.

Myers on Tuesday thanked councilors for inviting him to serve on a “stopgap basis.”

“That was three mayors ago and my time in that role is up, now that the police station issue is settled and because we are in a soft spot in terms of the council calendar,” he said.

Myers did not leave without urging the council to take care of some projects he believes are critical.

He said the train track on Main Street should get serious attention. “It’s full of pits and crevasses, the largest of which is about 7 inches deep by 20  inches wide. You could drop two brook trout in that pothole and not see them for a week. That needs to be repaired — as in last month — or someone will get hurt.”

He also urged councilors to hire a full-time economic development director who would serve all of Waterville’s interests, including businesses along Kennedy Memorial Drive, those at Railroad Square and the airport area.

“Perhaps this can be done with a reapportioning of development-related funds come budget time, or a community development grant,” he said.

He also thanked councilors for supporting projects for which he advocated, including a no-smoking ordinance, hiking and ski trails, sending a message that corporations aren’t people, protecting Head of Falls “for something other than a police station,” and for agreeing to build a station at Colby Circle.

 

Amy Calder — 861-9247

acalder@centralmaine.com

Copy the Story Link