White separatist town manager says he expects to be fired

PORTLAND, Maine -- Leaders in a Maine town said Sunday they will meet with their town manager, who has come under fire for espousing white separatist views. Jackman Town Manager Tom Kawczynski recently made public comments bashing Islam and calling for preservation of white European heritage in northern New England.

Local officials are scheduled to meet with him on Tuesday. Town lawyer Warren Shay said Sunday the town manager's beliefs aren't shared by Jackman officials, who intend to meet with him at Jackman Town Office at 8:30 a.m.

"The meeting is to talk with the town manager about comments attributed to him in a number of newspapers and other media outlets around the state," Shay said. "The beliefs reflected in those comments are not shared by any of the select persons or the Town of Jackman."

Kawczynski didn't return phone calls from The Associated Press. He moved to Maine a year ago and launched a group called "New Albion" to promote what he calls "the positive aspects of our European heritage" in northern New England and Atlantic Canada.

Kawczynski has said he expects to be fired over his actions, but he doesn't intend to quit, and he doesn't feel that his views on race interfere with his work as town manager. His website states that its purpose is "defending the people and culture of New England."

The website includes essays that make the case for a voluntary separation of races, and identifies Kawczynski as "steward for New Albion." He has also identified as a supporter of President Donald Trump.

Kawczynski rejects the idea that his views are racist, saying people of different racial backgrounds are welcome in his movement as long as their culture is "rooted in Western civilization," reports CBS Portland, Maine affiliate WGME-TV.

The Jackman-Moose River Chamber of Commerce president has said businesses in the area "do not condone" Kawczynski's views. The American Civil Liberties Union of Maine has condemned him as well.

Many social media users are taking to Jackman-related Facebook pages to call for Kawczynski to quit or be fired. Jackman is a town of about 850 people near western Maine's border with Saint-Théophile, Quebec, about 170 miles north of Portland.