Chief, editor lauded by Sen. Collins

Photo: Kayla Collins

HONORED — Paris Fire Chief Brad Frost and Advertiser Democrat Editor A.M. Sheehan stand with U.S. Senator Susan Collins, R-Maine, center, at the Paris Fire Station, February 20, where Collins presented them with American flags, that were flown over the nation's capitol, for their efforts uncovering the desperate living conditions in local federally-subsidized housing. 

PARIS — Paris Fire Chief Brad Frost and Advertiser Democrat Editor A.M. Sheehan were thanked by U.S. Senator Susan Collins for their efforts uncovering the deplorable living conditions in local federally-subsidized housing. 

Around 20 people, including Paris and Norway town officials, attended a ceremony last Wednesday honoring Frost and Sheehan.

The Senator presented Frost and Sheehan with American flags that had been flown above the U.S. Capitol in recognition of their efforts.

"This was such a great piece of investigative journalism, you must be very proud," Collins said.

Sheehan and former reporter Matt Hongoltz-Hetling won a slew of national awards for their report and were named Journalists of the Year by the Maine Press Association.

The Senator said she was "appalled" by the abhorrent living conditions in taxpayer-funded housing uncovered by the newspaper.

When the report was published, in 2011, Collins was on the Senate sub-committee for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which funds the Section 8 program.

After its publication, Chief Frost sent Collins a letter, with the report, pointing out the problems in the area.

"I never would have written that letter if the newspaper hadn't started it," Frost said.

The report sparked Collins to call for an immediate investigation into the federal Section 8 program at the same time a state investigation was launched, Collins said.

"I did not want this ... happening on my watch, in my state," she told the group.

"It was really an eye-opener for me."

Sheehan said the story couldn't have been written without the help offered by people like Norway Fire Chief Dennis Yates and Code Enforcement Officer Joelle Corey-Whitman, who helped the Advertiser Democrat journalists unravel the story.

The story and subsequent investigations helped cut down on the problem, Corey-Whitman told Collins. It especially helped that tenants felt they could speak out when problems were discovered.

Although uncovered, the problem hasn't gone away, Sheehan said.

"It's not just an issue in Maine, it's everywhere," Sheehan told the Senator.