LEWISTON — Councilor Linda Scott will replace Lee Clement as council president following a tense appointment process Tuesday.

The vote was 5-2, with Clement and Councilor Rick LaChapelle voting for Clement.

The council president acts as presiding officer in the absence of the mayor, but the debate Tuesday highlighted friction between several councilors that has permeated through the current council term.

Councilor Scott Harriman, who nominated Linda Scott, spoke for several minutes, accusing Clement of using a recurring theme of “threatening and intimidating other people who don’t agree” during his year as president in 2022.

Harriman read several emails from Clement during 2022 that he said were attempts to “bully me into changing my political decisions,” as well as threats to use parliamentary procedures to force through policy decisions.

“I think we really need a change in our leadership on the council here,” he said.

Some of the emails were detailed in Sun Journal reporting stemming from a Freedom of Access Act request last year, which detailed a draft resolution by Clement regarding school department affinity groups and a debate over council tactics.

Mayor Carl Sheline, who has also continuously sparred with Clement during the current term, said Clement “rules by intimidation.”

He said Clement once came up to him after a meeting and stated, “you sir have made a mistake and are going to regret it.”

Later Tuesday, the council was slated to take up a proposal from Clement that would prohibit the mayor from engaging in council debates unless he relinquishes his role as presiding officer.

During public comment, Megan Parks read a statement from Marcus Talarico, who had filed a FOAA request last year for Clement’s emails.

Talarico said after he filed the FOAA, his employer received calls from Clement, which he saw as “totally inappropriate,” and Clement’s “way of trying to intimidate me.”

“If he does not want to be held to public scrutiny he should not hold public office,” he said.

Clement did not comment during the appointment discussion.

Several other members of the public spoke in favor of appointing Scott as council president. Scott formerly served as chair woman of the School Committee.

Scott said as an elected official, she’s learned to “never, ever speak disparagingly against anyone,” whether they agree or not.

Prior to the vote, a member of the public told the council to “grow up” and to grow some “thicker skin.”

“We’ve got to start playing in the sandbox together kids,” he said.

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