Maine town fires its city manager for touting ‘white civil rights’
PORTLAND, Maine — A northern Maine town manager who espoused white separatist views was fired 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 it as the internet home of a pro-white group and states it’s time to “admit America was built by white Christian men.”
Kawczynski told The Associated Press on Tuesday 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 Jackman Moose River Region Chamber of Commerce’s Facebook page stated its members don’t share his views and called on the selectmen “to do what is needed.”
Kawczynski was paid $49,000 annually, and the town said he is getting $30,000 in severance. He said he signed an agreement to the severance package stipulating he will not sue.
Elected officials in the town voted unanimously to fire him Tuesday morning. The town said in a statement that its selectmen and Kawczynski have “agreed on the details of ending” his employment.