Biddeford Mayor Marty Grohman was inaugurated Tuesday, Dec. 5. Courtesy photo/Raoul Goulet
BIDDEFORD — Martin “Marty” Grohman was inaugurated Tuesday, Dec. 5, officially becoming Biddeford’s first new mayor in 12 years. He ran on a slogan of “proud of our past, dedicated to our future” and projected a sense of gratitude and optimism during a speech addressing a large audience at City Theater.
City councilors-elect and the School Committee members-elect were also sworn in by City Clerk Robin Patterson during the city’s 151st inauguration.
“Many of you have shared with me that you voted for me because I had vision and you felt I could take on the big issues, and lead a transition from not just good, but to excellent,” said Grohman. “We’re all familiar with good to great. I say we go right to excellent.”
He kicked off his remarks with a long list of thank yous — expressing appreciation for his family, employees at City Hall, and even the Biddeford-Saco-OOB Courier.
Biddeford city councilors are sworn in at the city’s 151st inauguration. Courtesy photo/Raoul Goulet
The audience included members of various members of city government, Executive Director of the Heart of Biddeford Delilah Poupore, School Superintendent Jeremy Ray, as well as members of the Biddeford Middle School fifth-grade choir — which performed multiple songs that evening — and their parents. Newly sworn-in Saco Mayor Jodi MacPhail was also there.
Grohman won November’s election 2,894 to 2,223, defeating former State Senator Susan Deschambault, a Democrat. On the campaign trail, Grohman garnered the endorsement of then-Mayor Alan Casavant, while Deschambault had the support of multiple Democratic members of the Maine State Legislature, including State Senator Henry Ingwersen, State Representative Marc Malon, and State Representative Erin Sheehan.
Running for mayor was not Grohman’s first foray into politics. He was a Maine State House representative between 2014 and 2018, and has served as a Biddeford city councilor since 2021. He also ran an unsuccessful bid for Maine’s first congressional district in 2018 as an Independent.
Grohman’s success as an entrepreneur echoes the business renaissance that the city itself has experienced in recent years under the leadership of Casavant, who was first elected in 2011.
Starting in 1999, Grohman built a manufacturing company from scratch in Biddeford — then called Correct Building Products, LLC, according to LinkedIn. He sold the operation in 2009. He was later the executive director of E2Tech, an organization committed to growing the cleantech economy, as well as a podcaster — hosting members of the business community on his program “The Grow Maine Show.”
Grohman is originally from Carthage, but Biddeford has been his home for over two decades now.
When asked how he thinks Grohman’s leadership will compare to Alan Casavant’s, City Councilor William Emhiser (Ward 1) said the evening of Dec. 5 he thinks there will be “good continuity.”
“(Grohman) has got his own personal spin on things,” Emhiser “But in general, (he’ll continue) the growth and excitement that we’ve been able to build over the past 12 years, and I think he’s going to help us propel forward.”
Grohman’s inauguration speech was peppered with jokes about fatherhood and the changing cultural scene in Biddeford, generating chuckles from the audience, but he did not shy away from more serious topics.
“The top three things you told me about were affordable housing, city expenses, homelessness — and yes, the parking garage,” he said, referencing community frustration towards the Pearl Street Parking Garage.
When it comes to housing, Grohman pointed out efforts already underway, like the 250-unit workforce housing complex on Barra Road, and developments that are still in the pipeline, like the 39-units of workforce housing at the end of Adams Street that has yet to break ground.
When it comes to city expenses, he talked about the importance of weaning the city of fossil fuels. Instead of “writing checks to Big Oil,” he wants to invest in renewable energy solutions, like constructing solar fields, which he said will help the city cut down on recurring energy costs.
“I’m going to tell you something that will knock you back in your chair,” he said, turning to the issue of homelessness. “Practically every teacher in our schools has at least one homeless student. Think about that.”
He touted Biddeford’s efforts to invest in and coordinate with Biddeford’s existing network of support for the unhoused, including the Seeds of Hope neighborhood center, but he also spoke about the importance of developing a human-to-human connection.
“We’re going to build that trust,” he said.
The proverbial torch was passed when former Mayor Casavant — who Grohman credited with giving him his start in government by appointing him to the Recycling and Waste Management Commission — briefly joined Grohman on stage for a handshake and a picture.
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
