Louis Lachance, center, the city’s code enforcement sanitation officer, watches Tuesday while a large crowd addresses the Lewiston City Council about a proposal to end local restaurant inspections and Lachance’s position. Many people spoke out against the proposal. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal
LEWISTON — After the City Council postponed votes Tuesday on whether to eliminate a local restaurant inspection program and sanitarian position, Mayor Carl Sheline has called for a third-party survey of businesses that have interacted with the code enforcement department.
Sheline said Wednesday he appreciated the public’s feedback during Tuesday’s council meeting, and he supports the council’s decision to take more time to study the issue.
“To that end, I’ve asked administration to conduct a comprehensive third-party survey of our businesses in the city who have interacted with our code department,” he said. “Their feedback and input will be invaluable as we move forward.”
Following a lengthy public comment session Tuesday, with many people defending the department and sanitation officer Louis Lachance, the council voted unanimously to postpone the item until March 19, and did not take up the issue of eliminating Lachance’s position.
When reached Wednesday, city spokeswoman Angelynne Amores said the City Council’s decision to table the item to gather more information “reflects the council’s commitment to thorough consideration in decision-making.”
The city’s proposal to end its local health inspection program came after the city placed Dave Hediger, director of the Planning & Code Enforcement Department, on administrative leave last week, a decision that has been tied to the recent temporary closure of DaVinci’s Eatery at 150 Mill St.
Lewiston is one of only three municipalities in Maine that conducts inspections at the local level. If ended, the state health inspection program would be responsible for local food service inspections. Many in attendance at Tuesday night’s council meeting argued the local program is fair and deferring to the state would be a step backward for service.
Councilor Josh Nagine said leading up to the March meeting, the city should look at possibly creating a committee to review code enforcement and economic development policies, and possibly recommend updates, similar to what code enforcement did last year with land use policies.
But, Nagine said, the “process needs to be transparent and open to the public.”
Councilor Tim Gallant made a motion to table the items until a later date, saying the City Council needs further public comment, discussions on the issue with local vendors and more information from the state’s inspection program. Prior to the council’s vote, a public comment session was conducted.
Adam Jones, president of the Maine Service Employees Association union that includes code enforcement staff members, said further “transparency is going to bring certain things to light through this process.” He also said the union was likely to submit no confidence votes for both Sheline and City Administrator Heather Hunter.
Beth Matthews, who has worked for Lachance, said the city “should be celebrating his skill set.”
“He was hired to enforce healthy standards, not to create a disparity between restaurants based on popularity,” Matthews said. “Lewiston doesn’t owe businesses lenient codes to be business friendly.”
Former councilor Bob McCarthy said the optics of the proposal are “terrible.”
“One week after a restaurant complains,” he said, “you’re axing the head of the department, and then two weeks later it’s the guy who did the inspection.”
He added that over the past two years, he has heard “zero complaints” about Hediger or Lachance.
DaVinci’s Eatery reopened Jan. 15 after a nine-day closure caused by a cockroach issue that was first reported to the state. Following an inspection, Lachance issued an ultimatum to close voluntarily or be forcibly shut down by the city. DaVinci’s co-owner Craig Tribuno has since questioned the city’s approach, saying the closure cost the restaurant about $80,000.
Bob Tibbets told councilors that ending local inspections is a poor decision because restaurants will not get the same level of service from the state.
Lisa Harvey, who operates a food truck, said she is concerned about having to rely on the state for inspections, because “there are a lot of processes that get delayed.”
Billie Jayne Cook, the owner of the Agora Grand, agreed, adding she values her relationship with Lachance.
Another food truck owner said, “Lachance is tough, but he’s tough for the right reasons.”
If the City Council ultimately decides to eliminate the sanitarian position in March, it does not necessarily mean Lachance will leave the department. According to the bargaining agreement, an employee with seniority can “bump” into another job in the event of a layoff or reduction in workforce size.
During an earlier public comment period, several people questioned or criticized the city’s decision to move on from Hediger. The comments followed reaction last week from city code enforcement staff members, who spoke out on social media following announcement of the city’s decision.
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