Biddeford Mayor Martin Grohman called for the removal of Planning Board member Roch Angers (pictured here) due to an alleged breach of the Code of Ethics. (Screenshot courtesy of the city of Biddeford)

Biddeford Mayor Martin Grohman has called for the removal of Planning Board member and former City Councilor Roch Angers over a breach of the board’s Code of Ethics. The decision is now in the City Council’s hands, though it is not listed on the agenda for the Aug. 26 meeting.

During an Aug. 5 City Council meeting, the evening before the Planning Board’s scheduled vote on the University of New England Pier Project, Angers shared his personal opinion regarding the pending application.

In his remarks, Angers characterized the project as “tainted,” alleged a lack of transparency, questioned prior reviews, and announced his intent to table the board’s vote.

In a letter to the Biddeford City Council, Grohman said Angers’ statement violated the board’s Code of Ethics.

“It is clear in the Code of Ethics that members of the Planning Board are not able to comment on a pending application on a personal basis,” Grohman wrote.

Members of the Planning Board take an oath to uphold the standards of ethics that protect the integrity of the city’s land use process and ensure public confidence in the board’s decisions, Grohman said. “This includes remaining impartial, avoiding even the appearance of bias, and conducting all deliberations in a properly noticed public forum where the applicant and the public can be present and heard,” he said.

Grohman said that Angers also sent an email to councilors, planning staff and fellow board members advocating against the UNE pier project. The action, Grohman said, is also inconsistent with the Planning Board’s Code of Ethics.

Planning Board Chair Alexa Plotkin agreed with Grohman’s call to remove Angers from the board, sending her own letter to the City Council.

“His conduct demonstrated bias, ex parte advocacy, and a disregard for the requirement of impartiality,” Plotkin wrote. “This not only violates the code but undermines the credibility of the board and public trust in its decisions.”

Plotkin said she “respectfully” urges the City Council to remove Angers to “preserve the integrity” of the Planning Board’s process.

The UNE pier project has been controversial in Biddeford for the past year, with residents pushing for a different location than the one proposed, which is located in the Saco River adjacent to the Arthur P. Girard Marine Science Center on the school’s campus.

John Schafer, a Biddeford resident and former harbor commission member, resigned from the commission last year in order to seek more transparency in the regulatory review of UNE’s proposed pier.

According to Schafer, there is a “gaping hole” in Biddeford’s regulatory process.

“University of New England neighbors and those who use the river are now bitter and angry about the flawed regulatory process that actively excluded local knowledge of the river,” Schafer said.

Schafer also claimed that no professional who knows the river and works for the city approved the application after personally getting on the river to evaluate current, river depth, wind, extreme storms, tides, and other moorings.

At the Aug. 5 City Council meeting, Angers spoke to these concerns, noting that there was “something fishy” with the proposal, which was formally approved by the Planning Board on Aug. 6.

In his letter to the council, Grohman did not address concerns about the proposal, but thanked Angers for his “many years” of service to the city of Biddeford.

“Your dedication and willingness to serve our community is very strong,” Grohman wrote.

Grohman also said that his decision to call for Anger’s removal is not “a step taken lightly.”

“It is necessary to maintain fairness, transparency, and legal compliance in our land use process, and to ensure continued public trust in the important work of the Planning Board,” Grohman wrote.

Attempts to reach Angers, whose term on the Planning Board expires next year, were unsuccessful.