Auburn City Councilor Bob Mennealy is unconventional in his approach, perhaps even a pariah among his elected colleagues. He can be terse and does not hold to “protocols” and “procedures.”

Mennealy is angry with City Manager Pat Finnigan and has accused her, in a complaint to the state attorney general, of fiscal mismanagement, violations of information access laws and intimidation and retaliation against employees. Mennealy has not provided the public with the evidence necessary to convince us that what he says is accurate. But his call for an investigation is little different in function than the probe initiated by Finnigan of the police department following the recent arrest and exoneration of Mayor Normand Guay on charges of operating under the influence.

Mennealy’s actions have attracted the wrath of the mayor and most of the City Council, who have called for his resignation and conjured the specter of possible impeachment.

In hindsight, Mennealy’s cause would have been better served if he had tried to handle his disagreement with Finnigan through the process developed by the City Council in regard to personnel matters. Then, if that failed, his public maneuvers would have been warranted.

But at the same time, the mayor and City Council have overreacted. Mennealy’s actions do not rise to the level of resignation or impeachment.

His criticism has been leveled against a highly public, city official whose actions directly affect the day-to-day operations of government. Finnigan, the mayor and every city councilor and their actions are fair game for public scrutiny, and that includes scrutiny from within.

At the same time, Mennealy is not immune from attack. By the nature of his job and his positions, he is not above reproach. But attempts, even in their early stages, to force him from office go too far. He rightly says he will not step down.

Government, and this includes government on all levels, is prone to think it can best function when decisions are made out of the spotlight. There may be no corrupt intent, only a desire for expediency. In most instances, government behind closed doors is not good government.

Mennealy was a gadfly before he was elected to the City Council. He likely will serve his term as a gadfly. That skepticism and distrust is not necessarily a bad thing, although it can become misdirected.

The prospect, even the threat, of undoing the will of the voters by removing an elected official should be confined to only the gravest of offenses. This spat does not meet those requirements.


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