Westbrook City Councilor Gary Groves will resign his seat on the council at next week’s meeting, due to a conflict with his new job as athletic director for Westbrook schools.
Groves, currently the athletic director at Portland High School, will resign his seat at the regularly scheduled council meeting on Sept. 12. Groves said City Attorney Bill Dale has advised him that his new job at the school department creates a conflict of interest according to the city charter.
Groves will be starting in Westbrook on Sept. 14, so he must resign before he starts at the school. He said he would have liked to finish out his term, which expires on Dec. 31, but he understands the potential conflict. “I’m not able to carry out the term,” said Groves. “It’s unfortunate. But it’s a great opportunity at the school.”
City Administrator Jerre Bryant said he would miss having Groves on the council. “I have thoroughly enjoyed working with Councilor Groves,” Bryant said.
Republican City Committee Chairman Ray Richardson, whose party must now find a replacement for Groves, said he would miss having Groves on the council. “He’s a wonderful guy,” Richardson said. “He’s my idea of a great councilor. I don’t always agree with every vote he cast, but there’s no doubt in my mind he did his homework. He would listen to both sides and take what he learned, apply his principals and cast his vote.”
This was the first term on the council for Groves, who said he would miss being on the council. “I’ve really enjoyed it,” he said. “I wanted to serve and give back to the community.”
Bryant said he was glad Groves would still have a presence in the city. “If it weren’t for the fact that he was stepping into a new role in Westbrook, I’d be upset by this,” Bryant said. “But I think he’ll do a good job at the schools.”
As for a replacement for Groves, it is tradition in Westbrook for the party of the councilor that has stepped down to name their replacement. Richardson said on Friday that the city’s Republican committee has already begun discussions regarding Groves’ replacement. “We’re certainly talking about it,” he said.
Richardson said the committee has identified several possible candidates to serve out the last three months of Groves’ term, but he declined to identify who the candidates were. He said the committee plans to hold a meeting this week to discuss the potential candidates.
Groves said he wishes he could have finished out his term. “I’m sorry that I need to step down,” he said. “But that’s the way it is and we need to move forward.”
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