Outcry over Waterville Mayor Nick Isgro’s statements on social media continued to reverberate on Monday as city residents took steps to initiate a recall vote. They cited the Republican’s long history of bigoted, misogynist and hateful comments, often targeting Muslims and immigrants, and that most recently included telling one of the student survivors of the Parkland, Florida mass shooting to “eat it.”
Isgro has also apparently lost his position as an executive at Skowhegan Savings Bank. Bank President John Witherspoon told Beacon that Isgro was “no longer an employee” of the bank. He declined to provide further information. According to the Morning Sentinel, Witherspoon had released a statement on Friday saying the bank was “disappointed and dismayed” by Isgro’s remark. Isgro still lists the position on his LinkedIn profile.
Isgro released a statement on Monday afternoon blaming “the media and dark money funded outsiders” for the reaction to his public statements. He did not apologize for his remarks.
The recall effort was announced by a group of Waterville citizens at a City Hall press conference on Monday. The group–which includes former Waterville mayor Karen Heck–said they plan to collect 857 signatures, or 15 percent of the total number of votes cast in the last gubernatorial election, to initiate a recall election. If the signatures are gathered quickly enough, the election could be held during the statewide June primary vote.
“Mayor Isgro’s political rhetoric has revealed he is neither interested in modeling behavior worthy of emulating, nor concerned with bringing the citizens of Waterville together,” said Hilary Koch, a Waterville resident who helped to launch the recall effort. “Anger, hatred, spite, and bullying cannot become synonymous with the city, the citizens, or the mayor of Waterville.”
The move was met with support from the state Democratic Party.
“Today, the citizens of Waterville stood up to say that Mayor Isgro’s comments do not reflect the values of their city and that the people of Waterville deserve better,” said Maine Democratic Party Chair Phil Bartlett.
Beacon and Free Press reporter Andy O’Brien both revealed a number of Isgro’s questionable online remarks last week, including calling anti-sexual harassment legislation “cucked shit.” As Beacon contributor Mike Tipping wrote on Friday, Isgro “routinely attacks and spreads false conspiracy theories about immigrants, Muslims and his political opponents.”
The call for Isgro’s resignation began last week with a Facebook post by Waterville resident and activist Bryan Evans, who called on Maine lawmakers to condemn the mayor’s remarks. Since then, many across the state have come out against Isgro including Maine Sen. Shenna Bellows, state Rep. Colleen Madigan, Democratic gubernatorial candidates Mark Eves and Diane Russell and U.S. Senate candidate Zak Ringlestein.
A petition launched by Senate Democratic Campaign Committee executive director BJ McCollister has, as of Monday afternoon, garnered more than 4,400 signatures.
“The residents of Waterville will not tolerate our Mayor verbally attacking a teenager or who tweets racist points of view,” Evans said in a statement issued Monday. “The people of Waterville are of all languages, skin color, gender and religions. That is what makes Waterville such a welcoming and beautiful community.”
Isgro official photo
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