BIDDEFORD – The city council Tuesday changed its public meeting rules in order to prevent a repeat of an incident that happened earlier this month, when someone exploited ‘remote public participation’ by using racist, homophobic and inflammatory rhetoric during a public meeting.

According to City Manager James Bennett, similar incidents have happened this month in several other Maine communities that allow live public comment on the Zoom meeting platform. Zoom is a free service that allows people to participate in live meetings from any remote location with an internet connection.

Like many other communities, Biddeford began offering the option of remote public participation during the height of the COVID pandemic more than two years ago.

Although the individual(s) who ‘hijacked’ the meetings did so by using fake aliases and under cover of anonymity, Bennett told the council that both city and state police are investigating the incidents and “are close” to identifying the person or persons responsible.

“We will not tolerate nor provide an open forum for hateful comments,” Bennett said. “The city council and city staff are determined to create safe spaces for our citizens that promote a sense of belonging, free from intimidation.”

While discussing how best to prevent future abuses of a public forum, several councilors said they wanted to ensure robust public participation without allowing the process to be abused and become a platform for “hate speech.”

“From my perspective, the more public participation we have, the better it is for our city,” said Council President Norman Belanger. “I’m not sure that we should just get rid of the Zoom option. At this point, I’d rather use a sniper than a hand grenade.”

Councilor William Emhiser, who represents the city’s coastal neighborhoods, said many of his constituents like the remote access option, especially during the winter months when they are out of state.

Councilor Marc Lessard, however, says he believes if people want to address the council, “they should come to the podium.”

Lessard, who was first elected to the council in 1993, said he understands that there are benefits to new technology, but stressed any new rule should be consistent for all public meetings and that the rules should be “ironclad.”

The council voted unanimously to have city staff amend the Zoom option to now require an identification and authorization process for members of the public who want to speak during a meeting. Councilors said they want the new requirement to be clear and as easy as possible for the public.

Mayor Alan Casavant said he was pleased by the council’s decision. “I think this course of action demonstrates that we are trying to maintain a balance,” he said. “We have to be able to adapt to a new world, but we must also maintain a civil and respectful atmosphere.”

Across the river, in the neighboring city of Saco, Mayor Bill Doyle said his city is “looking into” using Zoom or similar technology but stressed that such an option needs to be “carefully examined.”

“We all want to encourage public participation, but we also have to be able to effectively govern in a respectful manner,” Doyle said. “New technology provides us with many more resources, but there are also some pitfalls. Some people just want to be anonymous keyboard warriors, and that type of behavior does not enhance or promote good public discourse.”

According to Doyle, Saco residents can view live council meetings via Facebook’s live streaming option, but cannot address the council or mayor during a live meeting.

The town of Old Orchard Beach also does not offer remote access for live public commentary.

Bennett said similar incidents of hate speech have happened “throughout southern Maine,” including communities such as Portland, Falmouth and Hallowell.

Randy Seaver can be contacted at [email protected].