Maine House speaker takes helm of Biddeford Housing Authority
Maine House Speaker Ryan Fecteau says he is focused on bringing more affordable housing to Biddeford as he takes over as executive director of the Biddeford Housing Authority.
Fecteau, who began the new role Monday, said he also wants to help his city’s housing authority become a leader in the affordable housing space.
“I think there’s a lot of opportunity for change and growth,” Fecteau said Tuesday. “I’m looking forward to doing my part to lead the organization.”
Fecteau, a Biddeford resident who grew up in the city, has spent the past three years working in the affordable housing sphere as a developer for Avesta Housing.
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The Democrat represented a portion of Biddeford in the Maine House from 2014-22 before being reelected in 2024 to represent a neighboring district. He served as speaker from 2020-22 and again since his reelection.
Balancing a full-time career with a major role in the Legislature is something Fecteau is used to by now.
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“This is not unusual for me,” he said. “The reality is most lawmakers have full-time jobs outside of being in the Legislature.”
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As Fecteau steps into his new role, he feels “heartened” to be leading an organization whose mission is to build and manage affordable housing.
“It’s kind of full circle for me,” Fecteau said. “I grew up in low-income housing. That was the foundation that allowed our family to get back on its feet.”
REPUBLICAN QUESTIONS POTENTIAL BIAS
Fecteau’s new role raised questions from some Republican lawmakers about potential bias.
House Minority Leader Katrina Smith, R-Palermo, asked for an independent review to determine whether Fecteau should be allowed to vote on or introduce legislation that would affect the housing authority.
“Many in my caucus believe we needed this review,” Smith said. “I know I heard from many in the general public who also supported this idea of a review.”
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Before accepting his new position, Fecteau submitted an inquiry with the Commission of Governmental Ethics, which did not find any conflict of interest.
“The Legislature deals with issues that are far and wide, and it’s very likely that at some point during your Legislature service, an issue related to your scope of work might come up,” Fecteau said.
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The Biddeford Housing Authority also relies on a federal voucher plan to complete much of its work, meaning it is not a state-funded organization.
One of the only times Biddeford Housing Authority and the Legislature could interact, Fecteau said, is if the authority asks for funding from MaineHousing. Even then, he said, that process is competitive and governed by a Qualified Allocation Plan — an impartial scoring system to determine which projects will receive funding from the state.
While Smith has chosen not to proceed with a formal complaint, she maintains that an independent review would be beneficial.
“Speaker Fecteau is one of the most influential figures in Maine politics, and with that comes a lot of power,” she said. “I felt that, for transparency’s sake, we needed an independent party to review the situation.”
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Tagged: affordable housing, housing, housing and urban development, Housing crisis, maine legislature, Speaker Ryan Fecteau
Sydney is a community reporter for Biddeford, Saco, Old Orchard Beach, Kennebunk, Kennebunkport and Arundel and previously reporter for the Courier and Post. Sydney grew up in Kennebunk and is a graduate. More by Sydney Richelieu
