LEWISTON — Local landlord Joe Dunne has apologized to the city for posting two controversial signs attacking mayoral candidate Ben Chin.
Dunne placed an ad in the Sun Journal on Friday saying, “I am truly sorry that my sign was taken as racism and bigotry. I have dealt with many people of color from diverse culture and ethnic backgrounds in my capacity as a citizen and landlord.” And, he said, “I believe in my heart I have never been a racist or a bigot.”
Dunne contracted with a Bethel company to make three signs, two of which were hung in Lewiston last weekend, one at 134 Main St. and the other at 101 Pine St. Dunne owns both buildings.
The signs featured yellow, Soviet-style hammers, sickles and stars, and a cartoon caricature of Ho Chi Minh with the caption “Don’t Vote for Ho Chi Chin. Vote for more jobs not more welfare.”
The bright red signs were meant to point out that Chin’s ideas were too far left for Lewiston, Dunne said, but were seen by many as racist.
By 1 p.m. Monday, Dunne had taken both signs down after intense public criticism. He said he intended to erect them somewhere else, probably in a visible, vacant lot he owns.
At 5 p.m. Monday, a group or 150 people rallied along Main Street across from Dunne’s building, chanting, “We will not tolerate hate.”
Dunne’s apology Friday seems to indicate he has since decided not to re-post the signs.
“I am also very sorry my action hurt the community as a whole,” he wrote in his ad. “Each and every institution here works hard every day trying to make this a good community. My insensitive act undermined the total effort.”
At noon on Friday, Chin issued a written statement in response to Dunne’s ad. In it, he said, “I’d like to thank Joe Dunne for his apology and, more importantly, for finally, publicly committing to correct the deplorable conditions of many of his buildings. I’m glad we can get past these attacks and back to discussing my plan to change our city’s reputation.”
Defending the signs earlier this week, Dunne said he intended to compare Chin to former Vietnamese Prime Minister and political leader Ho Chi Minh because Minh was a staunch advocate of communism, “and I thought people would get the message that this stuff (Chin is) trying to promote is pretty close to communism.”
On Monday, and again in the ad, Dunne explained that the signs were his way of striking back at Chin, who has repeatedly referred to him as a slum landlord during the campaign.
Chin’s mayoral campaign platform has called for more resident-owned housing downtown, including a Lisbon Street redevelopment effort, and he has condemned Dunne in writing and verbally for what he believes are Dunne’s failings as a landlord.
“Ben Chin has demonized me as an uncaring code breaking slumlord,” Dunne wrote in the ad. ” … I’m guilty of having too many apartments and limited resources to support them.”
And, “like any business it’s a balancing act to schedule, complete and pay for upgrades. I will try to do a better job and accept constructive advice and criticism.”
According to a review of city of Lewiston public financial records, companies owned by Dunne have been paid $89,826 for tenant rent from the city’s General Assistance welfare program since March of this year. That equals 22 percent of all General Assistance rental dollars spent by the city during that time.
In his ad, Dunne challenged people to look at the housing situation. “I am one of the very few landlords who accept city subsidized tenants at a payment much below the market rate,” he said, adding, “the city does the best it can but leaves no margin for substantial improvements in many of the units.”
He believes that if he were not in the housing business, “a significant segment of the low income population I serve would not have any housing at all.”
Dunne expressed anger at Chin for trying “to drive me out of business. This showed no consideration for the hundreds who would have been hurt by his actions,” and suggesting that voters consider candidates for the mayor’s office who “have sensitivity to the needs of all its citizens.”
In the ad, Dunne assures people, “I would never purposely make any tenant suffer to enrich myself or my family.”
Dunn said he believes “the next Lewiston mayor needs to be able to bring citizens together and not divide us,” warning that Chin’s “tactics would be used against anyone that disagrees with his vision.”
The mayor’s race will be decided on Tuesday, Nov. 3. In addition to Chin, candidates are Mayor Robert Macdonald, Luke Jensen, Steve Morgan and Charles Soule.
Each of the candidates condemned the Dunne signs on Monday.
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