Jan. 23, 2018: Selectmen in the town of Jackman, near the Canadian border, fire Town Manager Tom Kawczynski, who they said compromised the town’s image by publicly advocating racial segregation and condemning Islam.
Four days earlier, news reports identified Kawczynski, an Arizona native, as the founder and leader of New Albion, a pro-white group that says people from other cultures should stay out of northern New England. That prompted many Jackman residents and outside groups to call for Kawczynski’s ouster.
Kawczynski receives $30,000 in severance pay and agrees not to sue the town. Town Attorney Warren Shay says the town did a good job vetting candidates for the town manager’s job but that “some people just fly under the radar.”
Joseph Owen is a retired copy desk chief of the Morning Sentinel and Kennebec Journal and board member of the Kennebec Historical Society. He can be contacted at: jowen@mainetoday.com.
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