Amy Clearwater Courtesy Photo
BIDDEFORD — City Councilor Amy Clearwater has resigned her Ward 5 seat.
Clearwater announced her resignation at the Biddeford City Council meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 10.
“I have told everyone up here, and unfortunately it is terrible timing, but I must submit my resignation this evening due to a work conflict, so I think we need an official vote of the council to allow me to resign,” she said. “So, I guess I’m making the motion.”
“You’ve been a great addition to the council and will be sorely missed by all, but especially me — your insight has been invaluable,” said Council President Norman Belanger. “I’ll support this, but with great sadness.”
Mayor Alan Casavant said when Clearwater called to tell him the news on Tuesday morning, “my jaw hit the floor.”
“I remember appointing her to the council, (and did so) because she was so eloquent and thoughtful,” he said. “She served in her capacity extremely well. Thank you for your service.”
Clearwater was appointed to the council in October 2019, following the resignation of Victoria Foley, who was elected unopposed to the Maine Legislature the following month. Clearwater was elected to a two-year city council term in 2019 and again in 2021.
Casavant will appoint a successor to represent Ward 5, who will serve the remainder of the term. The appointed councilor will serve, according to Biddeford’s city charter “until the first Tuesday after the first Monday in December following the next biennial election,” when the new council is sworn in to office.
City spokeswoman Danica Lamontagne said there will be no formal process but noted that anyone living in Ward 5 who is interested in the position may reach out to Casavant for consideration.
Clearwater is an attorney and is employed in the financial services industry – a bank – with a focus on governmental and institutional clients, according to her LinkedIn account.
Councilor Doris Ortiz said she enjoyed working with Clearwater and had learned from her.
“You’ll be missed,” said Councilor Bill Emhiser, noting Clearwater had provided the council with “great guidance.”
Clearwater was a councilor who spoke up on many issues. In December 2020, she was among those rejecting a proposed zoning amendment that would have allowed multi-family dwellings in portions of Biddeford’s industrial-commercial and highway-business zones.
In that instance, she said she supported the idea, but voted against it because of two reasons – a lack of public input and because the city was awaiting zoning and other updates.
“We need to have a comprehensive plan and comprehensive rezoning,” said Clearwater.
More recently she spoke about people who have no place to live.
“I feel like we could have done something months ago,” Clearwater told her fellow city councilors, in part, following the delivery of an interim report of the city’s affordable housing task force. “I feel like we should have done something years ago. I don’t know why we are not doing something …”
Her resignation was accepted with, as the mayor put it, “a vote of appreciation,” followed by a round of applause.
“I’ve so enjoyed my time here and am really, really sad to leave and I’ll be definitely involved with the city,” Clearwater said. “And I wouldn’t be surprised if you see me on the other side of the dais, speaking even more freely, very, very soon.”
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