Houlton consultant choice challenged Manager had worked for successful bidder

HOULTON – A town council meeting grew heated on Monday evening after a resident questioned Town Manager Peggy Daigle about who helped her prepare a request soliciting consultants to map the town. Daigle refused to reveal who had helped her.

The town manager said Tuesday she received information from more than seven vendors, including the James W. Sewall Co. of Old Town, which eventually received the consulting job. Daigle previously worked for Sewall.

“She asked us a few questions,” said Ray Corson, the Sewall project manager, Tuesday. “But she has a great deal of knowledge about the material.”

Since last year Daigle has been urging the town to buy the geographic information system, which costs $82,000, to aid the town’s code enforcement office.

Not everyone on the council has supported the idea. The council was to vote on the purchase at Monday’s meeting.

At the meeting, former councilor Mike Carpenter asked Daigle about a request for qualifications for the GIS that was sent out to consultants on March 15.

“Who came up with the $82,000 figure to do the GIS mapping?” Carpenter asked.

Daigle told Carpenter she had drafted the qualifications request mainly on her own, but had help from some vendors.

“We ask vendors how much they would charge for things,” Daigle said. “I am on the Northern Maine Development Commission’s GIS committee, and before I came to Houlton, I was director of geographic information for the James W. Sewall Company. I bring this experience to Houlton.”

Carpenter asked Daigle if she had asked questions of the vendors who “[the council] was looking to hire tonight.”

“I’d rather not say, Mike,” Daigle said, “because I don’t know where you’re heading with this.”

“If the consultant who helped put this together is also the vendor, that is inappropriate, a conflict of interest, and it is probably illegal,” Carpenter said.

“Be careful, Mike,” said Council Chairman Dale Flewelling. “You are talking about the integrity of our town manager. I’ll ask you to sit down, I’m telling you.”

“I am not challenging anyone’s integrity,” Carpenter said. “But if the same person who put together this RFQ then turned around and bid on it, don’t you think that’s inappropriate?”

Flewelling disagreed.

“I resent the fact that you are challenging the integrity of this office,” Daigle told Carpenter.

Councilor Phil Bernaiche said he was angry about the GIS project.

“It’s really scary to spend over $82,000 and ask questions of the town manager, and then she won’t answer them,” he said. “I’ve asked people, and they’ve called me, and they don’t want any part of this GIS.”

Councilor Gerald Adams, a GIS opponent, said he felt that the public wasn’t told enough in advance of the special council meeting. Daigle said the meeting was announced within the appropriate time limits.

The council voted 4-2 to purchase the GIS from Sewall.