Auburn’s credibility has been shaken and the city has put its repair in the hands of a Portland law firm. The city has hired McCloskey, Mina and Cunniff to conduct an investigation of the Normand Guay affair.

The mayor was charged with operating under the influence after an Aug. 4 traffic stop. The actions of the officers have been called into question because the police department and the city are embroiled in contentious, and stalled, labor negotiations.

City Manager Pat Finnigan hired the law firm to unravel the circumstances of the mayor’s arrest, including the actions of police and the appropriateness of police policies, procedures and practices.

The purpose of the inquiry, according to the letter to the law firm seeking its services, is “to restore the public’s trust and confidence in the Auburn Police Department and our police officers. To do this, we must first have the actual facts of the incident, which are gathered by an independent, objective, and experienced investigator.”

We have no doubts about the credentials or professionalism of the lawyers conducting this investigation. Michael A. Cunniff is an experienced lawyer and investigator, who spent more than 25 years as an agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration. Jay McCloskey is a former U.S. attorney for Maine.

We do have doubts about this investigation, though. The whole affair is more muddled than ever.

The city manager hired the firm, which now works for the city, to investigate the actions of a city agency in regard to the arrest of a city official. That’s a bit of a circle. Who, exactly, is working for whom?

Uncovering the truth. Now that’s a good idea. But is this the best way to do that?

The police department has conducted an investigation of the incident. According to reports in Sunday’s Sun Journal, the Auburn police followed procedures that are common around the state in the handling of an OUI arrest. The information will be passed on to the district attorney’s office, if it hasn’t already.

Because the mayor works as a probation officer, that office likely will pass the evidence on to the state attorney general. It falls, then, to the top law enforcement officer in the state and his office to determine whether to continue with the case against the mayor, drop the charges or investigate further.

Allegations of abuse of police authority or intimidation would seem well within the purview of the AG to consider.

We are left with impression that the city is leaping to the defense of the mayor, hiring a team of lawyers to investigate his accusers. A release available at Monday night’s city council meeting repeats on several occasions the theme that the probe will “start to rebuild the trust and confidence that citizens and elected officials should be able to have in the people who take an oath of office to protect and defend our citizens.”

Finnigan, in the same release, maintains that “[c]ommissioning this investigation should not be interpreted as any indication that I believe wrongful or inappropriate conduct took place.”

It’s difficult for us to get past that idea.

Damage has been done to more than just the credibility of the police department. The credibility of the mayor and the city government are also entangled in this mess.

An investigation by the Attorney General is the best way to find the truth. But the lid is already off this odd can of worms and we’re left with competing examinations.
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