Last week, the Biddeford City Council decided to continue tabling Mayor Alan Casavant’s appointment of Joshua Bodwell to the Charter Revision Commission. Though all of the mayor’s other nominees were approved for their respective committees, Bodwell has been shut out so far, kept from volunteering to serve his community.

It’s no secret that Bodwell burned some political bridges during Casavant’s mayoral run, with his outspokenness and some scathing letters to the editor against then-Mayor Joanne Twomey. No doubt, those of Twomey’s supporters who remain on the council don’t want to see him on any city committee ”“ and that’s just politics.

Casavant, for his part, said he was seeking “fresh faces and a change in philosophy” in his appointments. No big surprise there with a new administration.

The concerns we have, however, arose from the process itself, when councilors decided to question the applicants about their respective philosophies and stances on particular issues, during the public meeting. This past week, Casavant said that would not be allowed a second time.

Bodwell, whose application was late, was not questioned at the initial meeting even though he was present, but was instead emailed questions from one councilor ”“ some of which he took to be offensive. Another councilor didn’t bother to contact Bodwell but instead made his decision not to approve the nomination based on a position that he believes Bodwell holds.

The issue with Bodwell aside, however, we feel that subjecting those who have volunteered for community service to an interrogation process in public is not appropriate, especially when some appear to be held to a higher standard than others. Longtime politically involved residents can recall a time when past administrations took this tack, but it hasn’t happened for many years, and we’d like to see it stay in the past.

At some level, yes, we all want to know where people stand before they are placed in positions of power on city boards and committees. But we must remember that these are not elected positions. Those who run for elected office should expect to be vetted, have their background checked, face accusations and explain their positions on every important issue of the day. A mayor’s committee nominees should not expect as much, since councilor approval of a mayor’s appointees is largely a formality.

Councilor Richard Rhames said he felt Casavant’s appointments showed discrimination against people who were connected with the previous administration of Joanne Twomey.

Of course there is.

This is politics, and there’s been a regime change. Casavant ran on a platform of being different from Twomey, so it stands to reason that he is not going to appoint all of her supporters to carry out his goals during his administration. The entire point of a mayor being able to appoint people to city committees is to know that they have some people on those boards who share his or her goals and ideals. No, they’re not guaranteed to agree with the mayor on every issue, but it’s more likely they will than not.

Since some councilors would like to have more information about the mayor’s appointees, it would make sense to have a more thorough application form for them to fill out. Those questions should be pre-approved by the council ahead of time, and all nominees should be asked, not just those who some view as controversial. That way, the council has the same information for each applicant, and no one is singled out for additional or unapproved questioning in public or via email. We’re glad to hear the council has suggested that the policy committee review the application sheet for nominees, and we hope the process becomes more formal in the future.

In the meantime, Bodwell’s nomination is still on hold, for a variety of politically motivated reasons, and it’s unclear whether he’ll be accepted to serve the city under Casavant. What is apparent is that this process has probably turned some people off from volunteering for public service ”“ and that’s the main reason why it should be changed.

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Today’s editorial was written by Managing Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski on behalf of the Journal Tribune Editorial Board. Questions? Comments? Contact Kristen by calling 282-1535, Ext. 322, or via email at kristenm@journaltribune.com.