LEWISTON, Maine — Confusion and mistrust continue to surround the appointment of a new city councilor in Lewiston, as officials have offered conflicting or incomplete explanations about how an applicant who withdrew from consideration ultimately secured a seat.
At the center of the dispute is Chrissy Noble, whose application for the vacant council position was withdrawn but later resurfaced in the final candidate pool. The episode has fueled growing frustration among councilors and the public, raising questions about internal decision-making and accountability at City Hall.
David Chittim, the council president, told The Maine Wire, on Friday that he “did not know” who returned Noble’s application to the pool. That response has drawn scrutiny, given accounts from sources who say Chittim and Noble were seen together in public on the same Friday Noble withdrew her application. An email also shows Chittim communicating with Noble and advised her to attend the council meeting.
Despite those details, Chittim has not said that he made the decision to reinstate the application, stating only that he does not know who did. The lack of clarity has prompted questions about whether the episode reflects ineffective leadership or deliberate evasion.
The Maine Wire also contacted the city clerk, Kathleen Montejo seeking an explanation for how the withdrawn application was reinstated. As of publication, no response has been received.
Adding to the confusion are accounts involving Scott Harriman. Sources have told the Maine Wire that Harriman said he knew he would be voting for Noble before the council meeting, having shared that during a school function the following day. That assertion has raised further questions about how a councilor could anticipate voting for a candidate who was widely believed to have withdrawn from consideration.
In response to the growing criticism, Chittim offered a fuller account of the process in an email statement to a concerned resident who asked Chittim what had happened. The statement, obtained by the Maine Wire, said each member of the council “was, or should have been, aware of the withdrawal and reconsideration because the City Clerk advised us of each decision of the applicant via email as they occurred.” It also said there was no clear guidance in “any policy, order, ordinance, or the charter,” leaving the decision “entirely at the discretion of the council,” which made its determination on Jan. 20. The statement acknowledged the decision “was not universally popular.”
The same statement also pushed back against suggestions of behind-the-scenes coordination, saying: “I will take this opportunity to categorically deny any suggestion or allegation that I spoke with any other member of the council in an attempt to influence them in this highly unusual situation.” It added that the speaker believed each of the seven votes cast that evening reflected what each councilor thought was best for the city and was made “without collusion or influence by any other member.”
The episode has compounded tensions within the council and drawn public criticism. Residents have expressed anger and a sense that they were misled, while councilors have reported growing mistrust among themselves. Critics also note that the council frequently defers to the clerk on procedural matters, pointing to earlier controversies, including the clerk’s decision to allow Iman Osman onto a ballot, as contributing to the current turmoil.
With neither the council president nor the clerk publicly claiming responsibility for the decision, the controversy has left unresolved questions about who exercised authority, how the process unfolded, and why it has proven so difficult to provide a clear answer.
Attention is now turning to the council’s next meeting, scheduled for Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. ,where the fallout from the appointment process is expected to take center stage.
