JACKMAN (NEWS CENTER MAINE) – Selectmen and business owners in Jackman are responding after the town manager there was found promoting anti-muslim and controversial rhetoric.
Jackman leaders are speaking with the town’s attorney about the matter, but a Facebook page representing townspeople and community organizations calls the manager’s statements “bigoted and offensive.”
“The town of Jackman is actively addressing the serious and bigoted comments of our town manager,” the post said.
It’s an angry response to statements made by Tom Kawczynski, hired by Jackman as its town manager last June.
“I believe Islam is incompatible with the separation of church and state,” he told NEWS CENTER Maine, at his home Saturday.
NEWS CENTER Maine spent about an hour with Kawczynski who accused state media outlets of writing, “hit pieces” against him.
He says is proud of the fact he is white and moved to Maine because it predominantly has people that look like him.
He’s also created a cultural organization with its own flag that celebrates the “western” Euro-Christian culture of historic New England.
He’s not surprised his statements have unnerved people, many of which appear to contradict each other.
One moment he told us he ranks people from certain backgrounds by his own religious preferences and “observations.”
Then, moments later, he would say he’d be open to productive dialogue that promotes unity.
The ACLU of Maine calls Kawczynski, “shockingly racist,” and locals aren’t happy either.
They say Jackman is getting attention for the wrong reasons, the comments hurt a town that relies heavily on visitors spending money there and most people in Jackman are welcoming.
“We’re normally not much the talk of anything unless it’s a snowmobiling incident or something,” said Bruce Rich, who’s lived in the town of roughly 800 people for 30 years.
NEWS CENTER Maine reached out to three of Jackman’s selectmen in person and by phone.
They all said they were unable to comment on the matter but are working on a statement about it with the town’s attorney that should be released in the next day or two.
Kawczynski expects he’ll lose his job.