Town manager fired, gets $ 30,000

PORTLAND, Maine — A northern Maine town manager who espoused white separatist views was fired on Tuesday and is getting $ 30,000 for agreeing not to sue the town.

The selectmen in the rural town of Jackman announced the decision after a closed- door executive session with Tom Kawczynski, the town’s top administrator since June.

Kawczynski has made comments bashing Islam and called for the preservation of white European heritage in northern New England. He also operates a website that touts racial segregation, describes itself as the internet home of a prowhite group and states that it’s time to “admit America was built by white Christian men.”

Kawczynski said on Tuesday that he’s unabashedly pro- white, but he feels his views have been mischaracterized.

He vowed to continue making the case for what he called “white civil rights.”

“I, in conjunction with the Selectboard, agreed to a settlement to remove the good people of Jackman from the unwanted scrutiny, but I do not surrender my right to express my First Amendment rights,” Kawczynski said. “Including the right to have controversial opinions.”

Social media users have been calling for Kawczynski to quit or be fired. A post on the JackmanMoose River Region Chamber of Commerce’s Facebook page stated that members of the local business community don’t share his views and called on the selectmen “to do what is needed.”

Kawczynski also served as town chair in Lisbon, N. H., for U. S. President Donald Trump during the 2016 campaign.