Biddeford City Council last week declined to vote on the removal of Planning Board member Roch Angers.

At the Sept. 2 meeting, Mayor Martin Grohman asked for a motion by the council to remove Angers from the board. The motion was made by Councilor William Emhiser.

Grohman, citing bias, called for the removal of Angers last month over an alleged breach of the board’s Code of Ethics.

Sept. 2, Grohman then called for a second from the board in order to move the vote forward, but no board member seconded the motion.

“Without a second, we’ll move on from the item,” Grohman said.

The motion to remove Angers from the Planning Board died on the table, meaning Angers will retain his position on the board.

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

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

According to Grohman, Planning Board members are not allowed to comment on a pending project with personal bias.

“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 said in a letter to the council.

Planning Board Chair Alexa Plotkin supported Grohman’s attempt to remove Angers from the Planning Board, “respectfully” urging the board to remove Angers to “preserve the integrity” of the board. 

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

At the Sept. 2 City Council meeting, resident and former City Councilor John McCurry applauded the council for refusing to vote on Angers’ removal.

“If any committee member can’t come to this council where they think something is wrong in this city and address their concerns, we may have a problem,” McCurry said.

Angers’ term expires in 2026.