LEWISTON — A woman who sent the mayor a postcard expressing concerns over immigrant deportations is a part-time Lewiston Adult Education teacher, according to a school official.

School Superintendent Bill Webster on Wednesday identified the teacher who had written her return address on the postcard as Lewiston Adult Ed, 145 Birch St., after signing her name.

That information prompted Mayor Robert Macdonald to immediately call Webster, who identified the teacher’s job.

“It was inappropriate for her to put the Lewiston Adult Ed address” on the card, said Webster, who learned that the woman created the postcard on her own time, not on school property and using no school resources.

She just put the wrong address . . . she just wasn’t thinking,” Webster said, “And we have dealt with that issue with her.”

He declined to say what actions his department took to deal with the issue.

Her supervisor spoke to her about using the school address on the correspondence and “she acknowledged it was inappropriate.”

Webster stressed the teacher’s independent action, despite the return address.

“There was no authorization, no affiliation, no position on the part of Lewiston Adult Ed in this postcard,” Webster said.

The woman continues to teach at the Lewiston Adult Education program, he said.

On Tuesday, Macdonald released a redacted copy of the postcard that bore a May 3 postal processing time stamp that he received in the mail at his City Hall office on Friday. The name and address of the person who sent the postcard was blacked out, which the mayor said he did because of a personnel matter.

Earlier in the day, Macdonald had issued a statement of concern about the contents of the correspondence.

The handwritten message asked that the city not use any taxpayer funds toward deportation, and to protect the city from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement potentially coming into the community and deporting people.

The postcard appears to ask for the mayor’s help, but Macdonald said in a news release Tuesday that he was “concerned that the card’s information will spark fear within the immigrant community.”

The note addressing the mayor states, “I know that you have witnessed the strength and community brought here by our immigrant and refugee neighbors — I saw you speak at the opening of the New Roots Somali farm — Please help us protect our city from ICE and deportation that would strike fear into all — NO TAXPAYER DOLLARS TOWARD deportation!”

The identity of the postcard writer was released to the Sun Journal following a Freedom of Access Act request.

Macdonald did not respond to two messages from the Sun Journal regarding his complaint against the teacher. 

cwilliams@sunjournal.com

Lewiston Mayor Robert Macdonald received this postcard expressing concerns about immigration enforcement in Lewiston.

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