The mayor of Maine’s second largest city has resigned in the wake of a controversy over his leaked text messages, one of which included a racist remark. Republican Shane Bouchard stepped down as Lewiston’s mayor effective immediately Friday morning.
Text messages made public by a woman who said she had an affair with Bouchard when he was a mayoral candidate revealed a remark in which he describes elderly black people as “antique farm equipment.”
Heather Berube Everly said the two had an affair, and that she was the source of emails the Maine GOP used to attack Democratic opponent Ben Chin. Bouchard admitted making mistakes but also decried media reporting on “rumors.”
“In this political climate where the media does not discriminate between facts and rumors, it is hard to be a public figure. I am not a perfect person. I have made many mistakes in my past. I have also, in the past been the victim of some very damaging rumors,” Bouchard said, CBS Portland station WGME reported.
The state attorney general’s office confirmed Friday that it’s assisting a Lewiston Police Department investigation into the matter.
