Robert Macdonald: Maine Mayor Wants To Publish List Of All The People Who Receive Welfare

Robert Macdonald wants everyone in his Lewiston, Maine, town to know who is receiving welfare.

The mayor wrote on Thursday that he plans a “…Web site be created containing the names, addresses, length of time on assistance and the benefits being collected by every individual on the dole.”

Macdonald said he believes the information should be on the public record.

“After all, the public has a right to know how its money is being spent,” he said in a column for the Twin City Times.

As the Washington Post noted, this is not the first time that proposals related to welfare recipients has caused controversy. There has been much debate over the treatment of these individuals, with some accusing politicians of purposely shaming the poor.

In Kansas, lawmakers passed stringent laws dictating how people who receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families can spend their benefits. Other states have passed controversial laws requiring drug testing for those on welfare, measures that opponents say are unfair and unconstitutional. In some states, these laws have already been overturned.

Robert Macdonald does not have the power to create the welfare database himself, but called on the state’s legislature to do it. He also questioned why anyone would be standing in the way of publicizing the information.

“The answer: our liberal, progressive legislators and their social-service allies have made them a victimized, protected class,” Macdonald wrote. “It’s none of your business how much of your money they get and spend. Who are you to question it? Just shut up and pay!”

The Lewiston mayor is no stranger to controversy. Since being elected in 2011, he has gained national attention for a number of issues, including a call in 2012 for the city’s Somali population to “accept our culture and leave your culture at the door.”

Macdonald’s statements led to protests from residents and even some calls for his resignation, The Associated Press reported.

A group of close to 50 protesters rallied outside City Hall in 2012, collecting close to 1,500 petitions to have him removed from office.

“Basically, he’s telling us to forget who we were,” said Nimo Yonis, one of the Somali immigrants living in the Main community. “Just leaving your culture at the door is leaving what you believe, what you stand for and who you are at the door.”

Robert Macdonald later said his remarks were taken out of context, but the controversy didn’t end there. In 2014, he said the city could not become a “dumping ground” for immigrants seeking asylum. He has also been vocal in his opposition to welfare recipients, and in 2013 launched an effort to rid the rolls of what he called “welfare cheats.” A total of 80 people were kicked off public assistance, including some who were charged with fraud.

[Image via WMTW screenshot]