BIDDEFORD — Mayor Alan Casavant is looking to fill an empty seat on the City Council, following the unexpected resignation of Ward 3 Councilor Bradley Cote at Tuesday’s council meeting.

Just seconds after the 7-2 vote that authorized nearly $1 million in funding to address safety concerns at Biddeford Municipal Airport, Cote leaned forward and, speaking into his microphone, said, “Mr. Mayor, do you mind if I have a word?”

Casavant prompted Cote to go on.

“Because of this vote I would like to announce that I am going to be resigning from my seat on the City Council,” he said. “I’ve argued the risks (of the airport) for three years. I don’t think we should be making major financial commitments without any sort of data.”

Cote then stood up, gathered his things and, as the other councilors looked on in confusion, left the council chambers.

Although the airport was an issue Cote felt particularly passionate about, long championing a study to assess its economic value, which never quite came to a head, he said that, in a larger sense, he feels the city is falling into a trend of spending large sums of money before doing the proper research to determine whether or not it’s actually worth it.

And he for one can’t continue to be a part of that, he said. “I can’t keep doing it.”

The mayor as well as City Manager John Bubier expressed shock over the incident Friday.

“It wasn’t anything you would’ve expected,” said Bubier. “He’s been a good councilor. … It’s just one of those things, I’m afraid.”

“I never saw it coming,” said Casavant. “I was totally surprised. … I think my brain was racing at 1,000 miles per hour, thinking, ”˜Did I hear that right?’”

But within seconds, Casavant said his disbelief turned to disappointment, adding that Cote will be missed.

“I think Brad brought a valuable perspective to the council, and when you leave, that voice becomes silent,” he said. “I may not have agreed with him on all of the issues, such as the airport, but I respected his point of view.”

And now, as it all has sunk in, Casavant is actively on the hunt for a new Ward 3 councilor, and, pursuant to the city charter, he has 30 days from Feb. 17, which is when Cote resigned, to fill the spot. In other words, March 19 is his deadline.

Casavant said he’s been looking through a list of registered voters in Ward 3, picking out folks he thinks might be interested and reaching out to them. He said he’s also had a few people contact him already saying they’re interested in taking the seat.

Once Casavant has made a choice, the other eight councilors will vote to approve the person, who will serve as the interim Ward 3 councilor until the next November election.

In the meantime, Casavant said he is responsible for breaking any 4-4 votes that may come up at council meetings. That gives him a bit more power than he thinks is appropriate for a mayor, he said, so he’s eager to fill the spot.

“(The new councilor) will probably be there at the second meeting in March,” he said.

— Staff Writer Angelo J. Verzoni can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 329 or [email protected].