LePage cabinet member resigns amid allegations of racist remarks

[Maine-ah]

Source: BDN

AUGUSTA, Maine — Gov. Paul LePage announced a major shake-up of his administration on Wednesday, including the resignation of his top economic adviser amid allegations of improper comments during a tour of Aroostook County earlier this month.

Barely four months into his term, LePage is faced with filling two additional Cabinet positions after the resignations Wednesday of Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Philip Congdon and Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Darryl Brown.

Brown stepped down as the state’s top environmental official after Attorney General William Schneider said it appeared the commissioner had a conflict of interest due to his ownership of a consulting firm that has extensive dealings with the department.

But it was Congdon’s resignation and the allegations of impropriety surrounding him that had the State House buzzing on Wednesday.

Read more: http://new.bangordailynews.com/2011/04/27/politics/shakeup-in-the-state-house-major-changes-announced-among-lepage%E2%80%99s-top-staff/

[eShirl]

1. WTF?? was he drunk???

Ken Murchison, who works for the Northern Maine Development Commission, said he was "totally shocked" by Congdon's speech to the Caribou chamber, a public event attended by about 60 people.

"He growled at us for 45 minutes and said things like 'Get off the reservation,' " Murchison said. "We weren't raising our children correctly. I remember being totally shocked. The people I talked to were totally offended."

Murchison said they expected a speech about economic development.

"Every parent in the audience was pretty well disgusted," he said.

http://www.pressherald.com/news/tenures-cut-short-congdon-brown-resign-from-lepage-cabinet_2011-04-28.html

[eShirl]

4. more details from MPBN

What Martin found out was that during an awards banquet in Caribou, members of the Aroostook County business community were initially excited to learn that a prominent member of LePage's cabinet had agreed to speak at their event.

But instead of offering an overview of economic development in the state or what programs the administration is developing that could assist northern Maine, DECD Commissioner Philip Congdon told those attending the conference that the nation's higher education system had been in decline ever since the civil rights movement resulted in more black Americans being admitted to colleges and universities under affirmative action programs.

Then he told those in the audience that they could forget about waiting for economic development opportunities to come to Aroostook County, and that if they wanted economic development they needed to "get off the reservation and make it happen."

http://www.mpbn.net/Home/tabid/36/ctl/ViewItem/mid/3478/ItemId/16164/Default.aspx

[jpak]

6. WTF? and this guy still has job?

LePage = LeSuckage

yup

[Honeycombe8]

13. Wow. I can't believe someone actually said that in a speech.

Unbelievable. How hurtful that must've been to locals who aren't the right color...and even those who are.

[AlbertCat]

10. WTF?? was he drunk???

Sounds like he was coked up to me.

What a wanker.

[jerseyjack]

2. No. He's a Republcian.

[Ian David]

3. See, teabagger racism is SUPPOSED to be SUBTLE.

Well, subtle or at least misspelled.

[jpak]

5. Wow - I never thought there would be a higher ranking mo-ran than LePage. Congdon is an asshole

and wonders never cease

yup

:wow:

[Plucketeer]

7. It's truly amazing -

how crude and crass some of the rubes can be under the pathetic facade of a suit and tie! :dunce:

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

8. I'd like to add this article to this thread.

http://thinkprogress.org/2011/04/28/sally-kern-blacks-dont-work-hard/

I think the next time that goat fucker Breitdouche opens his pie hole about unfairly labeling Repukes as racist. Somebody should hit him upside the head with a stack of articles like these.

[No Elephants]

9. What irony.

Commissioner of Economic and Community Development

Says a lot about LePage.

[fascisthunter]

11. bigotry is a sign of immaturity

it really is... when you have an issue with a color or ethnicity, I think it is a sign of an underdeveloped sense of the self...

[Honeycombe8]

12. I didn't see in the article exactly what he said that was offensive.

He said something about making vodka instead of french fries. I don't get that remark. Are the local people there of Russian descent or something? Other than that, it didn't say what he said.

[jpak]

14. Aroostook County is famous for its 'Maine Potatoes'

I guess he was thinking about diversifying potato products.

One company up there makes some very good artisan potato vodka - as does another outfit in Freeport.

That said - his remarks on affirmative action and 'poor parenting' are what got him fired.

and he's a Texan talking down to Mainers

a complete asshole

yup