WATERVILLE — Cathy Weeks resigned from the city’s Planning Board Wednesday, a day after a District Court judge awarded her Iraqi-born neighbor a protection from harassment order against her.

Cathy Weeks

Judge Charles Dow on Tuesday approved a request by Falah Waheeb for the protection from harassment order against Weeks following testimony that she called him and his family “radical Muslims,” tried to convince a real estate agent not to sell Waheeb the house next door to hers and after his family moved in, tried to get them to leave the neighborhood.

Dow heard arguments and testimony from both sides Monday and Tuesday in Waterville District Court and ruled Weeks, 65, did harass Waheeb, 54, and approved the protection from harassment order, which is in effect for a year. Weeks is prohibited from threatening or having any contact with Waheeb and must pay his attorney’s fees, as part of the order.

Waheeb’s attorney, James LaLiberty, said Weeks harassed and intimidated Waheeb and his family, claimed they are radical Muslims, tried to prevent them from moving next door, and told a neighbor that Muslims are surrounding the city and will kill people. In court, Weeks denied the charges.

Week also served on the city’s Charter Commission which completed its work several weeks ago.

Cathy Weeks, center, leaves Waterville District Court on Monday with her lawyer, Kevin Sullivan, right, and her husband, Jon Weeks, left. In a protection from harassment hearing, Monday Weeks denied that she tried to interfere with the sale of a house to Falah Waheeb because he is Muslim. The hearing continues Tuesday. Amy Calder/Morning Sentinel

At a Planning Board meeting Sept. 14, about 15 people demonstrated with signs outside a Planning Board meeting, calling on Weeks to resign.

Advertisement

She attended her last Planning Board meeting Monday, before the second day of her court hearing. On Wednesday, she emailed her resignation from the board to City Planner Ann Beverage, stating simply that she was resigning from the board effective Wednesday and that Mayor Nick Isgro was aware of her resignation. Isgro had appointed Weeks to the Planning Board in March 2019.

Asked how her seat will be filled, Beverage said the mayor nominates Planning Board members and the City Council must approve those appointments.

Meanwhile, at Monday’s board meeting, members voted 4-3 to approve a final plan by Cogley Real Estate LLC to convert an existing commercial building at 13 College Ave. to 19 apartments. Three apartments already exist in the building, Beverage said. Weeks, Bruce White  and Thomas Stephen DePre voted against the plan.

The board reviewed an informal pre-application by Lost Legends for construction of a marijuana growing facility at 125 Airport Road. The developer is scheduled to return to the board Dec. 7 for a final plan review, according to Beverage.

The board also considered an application for a 60-unit expansion of Countryside mobile home park off West River Road. Members voted 7-0 to recommend the City Council rezone the property from Residential-B to Rural Residential so as to minimize wetland disturbance at the entrance to the mobile home park.

The board discussed rules for short-term residential rentals and is expected to decide at its next meeting, Nov. 16, whether to create such regulations, according to Beverage.

Related Headlines


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.