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CHELSEA

All-night vigil guards Town Office

By Mechele Cooper mcooper@centralmaine.com
Staff Writer

CHELSEA -- Paul Soucy camped out in the Town Office parking lot after hearing a judge had granted Carole Swan permission to conduct official town business.

Justice Robert Murray issued an amended bail order Tuesday allowing Swan to conduct personal business at the Town Office once every three months and to attend "official noticed meetings."

In response, Soucy, a Chelsea contractor, and Joe Mills, former fire chief, guarded the Town Office all night Tuesday.

Mills took the early shift, from 10 p.m. Tuesday till 2 a.m. Wednesday. Soucy took over until 6 a.m. Wednesday.

"We don't know what her restrictions are," Soucy said Tuesday after sitting in his car half the night. "Joe and I are concerned about her getting in there. Joe's meeting with (Selectman) Mike (Pushard) this morning about changing the locks.

"We were just sitting there, watching. If somebody showed up, we would have notified the sheriff's office."

Police allege Swan shook down a contractor for $10,000 in 2010, then prompted him to inflate the town's sand bill earlier this year in an apparent bid to yield $10,000 more. That led to her arrest Feb. 10 on forgery and theft charges.

After her arrest, Swan refused to resign from the Board of Selectmen, of which she is chairman, and bail conditions barred her from the Town Office and other officials.

Soucy said he doesn't understand why Murray is allowing Swan to be involved in town business even as the FBI and sheriff's office conduct an investigation into the town's awarding of road contracts.

"She was caught red-handed," he said. "It doesn't make sense in my mind to let her come back as a public official while all this is still up in the air.

"That's our Town Office, not hers. And allowing her back in there isn't right."

To monitor Swan's dealings, Soucy said a group of residents has agreed to stop in at the Town Office during the day, while others guard the building at night, until locks have been changed or security cameras installed.

"If that's what they feel they need to do, I'm not going to stop it," Pushard said. "The citizens are going to do what they feel is necessary."

Susan Sargent, former town manager, said the news of Swan's liberalized bail conditions flummoxed residents, some of whom are talking about protesting at the Town Office.

"This will just continue to rile the town up," Sargent said. "There's a lot of anger in town over what Carole has done. She admitted to the sheriff that she was getting a kickback. She admitted it. It's on tape.

"If she had any decency, she would resign for the sake of the town. But for Carole, it's never been about the people of Chelsea. It's always been about Carole Swan, and it continues to be."

Swan's three-year term is up in June. Town Clerk Flavia "Cookie" Kelley said the tentative date for an election to fill that seat is June 21, with Town Meeting tentatively set for June 25.

Kelley said a permanent date is needed before nomination papers can be made available. It's unclear whether Swan will run for re-election.

In the first tangible sign of a federal investigation into Chelsea's contracting, FBI agents appeared at the Town Office on Wednesday morning, met with Pushard, then loaded up two cars with cardboard boxes full of town documents.

"They came to get some records and we are cooperating fully with the FBI ... they need to do their job," Pushard said. "Hopefully, when this is all done, we can all move forward."

Pushard recognized that residents are not happy with Murray's ruling.

"I work for the townspeople and do what they want me to do. And they're not OK with this," he said. "So I'm not OK with it."

Along with meeting with the FBI and town attorney Stephen Langsdorf, Pushard said he plans to look into a new lock system for the Town Office.

Langsdorf said Wednesday the locks should have been changed when Swan was first arrested.

Sharon Morang, a former selectman, said she's witnessed Swan shredding documents, which underlines why people worry about Swan being in the Town Office.

"I understand the letter of the law," Morang said. "But in this case, I wish an exception had been made, because of the disappointment of the people."

In his ruling, Murray said Swan is not allowed to access any town records other than copies that are available to the public.

Langsdorf, who met with Pushard at the Town Office on Wednesday, said he wants to make it clear to Kelley and Town Manager Angela Gordon they are not supposed to have contact with Swan beyond official selectmen's meetings.

"She can have no contact with town staff outside the Town Office," Langsdorf said.

Langsdorf said there are no selectmen's meetings scheduled until after a special election March 29 to fill a seat left vacant by Tanya Condon's resignation in November 2010.

The March 29 election was scheduled after selectmen voted 1-0 at a special selectmen's meeting Feb. 23.

Selectmen also voted 1-0 to hold a special town meeting March 31 to look at extending professional fees for an investigation into the town's finances. The town has been unable to account for a federal education grant for the new Chelsea Elementary School, and is in arrears $386,000 to Regional School Unit 12 for failing to pay its most recent invoices, according school district officials.

Ken Rideout, a candidate in the six-way race for the March 29 selectmen's race, said Swan should not be allowed back at the Town Office -- for any reason.

"She should not participate in any activity concerning the town," Rideout said. "We need to develop a charter with a clause to deal specifically with something like this so it doesn't ever happen again."

Linda Leotsakos, another candidate for Condon's seat and a former Planning Board and Budget Committee member, was surprised by the court's decision.

"Carole Swan, by her own admission, violated the law and the trust of our citizens," Leotsakos said. "While I'm pleased that her bail was not lowered, I find it terribly discouraging that she will be able to participate in any official capacity at all, however limited that may be.

"She should have resigned weeks ago," Leotsakos said. "If she cares at all about our town, if she feels any remorse at all, she will resign now."

Sargent said the special town meeting ono March 31 could be a flashpoint.

"I'm just worried that people are really angry, and I hope it doesn't get out of control and end up with violence," Sargent said. "This has really got everybody upset."

Mechele Cooper -- 623-3811, ext. 408

mcooper@centralmaine.com