Mountainside Maine town being torn apart by FACEBOOK groups, as locals hurl deeply personal insults at one another

Published: 20:11, 17 August 2026 | Updated: 20:17, 17 August 2026 A tiny Maine town has descended into political turmoil after vicious Facebook feuds spilled into public meetings, drove officials from office and required police intervention. Clifton, a community of just 877 people located 20 minutes east of Bangor, has become divided by personal attacks exchanged through rival local Facebook groups. The online war has seen an elected official’s mugshot, property deed and photographs of his family repeatedly published, according to the Bangor Daily News. The bitter dispute has even led to harassment complaints and explosive confrontations at town meetings. Meanwhile, Clifton is struggling with more than $2 million in debt, the firing of its town clerk and allegations that Select Board members have been meeting without one another. The turmoil reached Maine’s highest court after two misplaced absentee ballots determined the winner of a March Select Board election by a single vote. Steve Armenia initially lost the race to Cynthia Grant, who received 114 votes to his 113. But officials later discovered two unopened absentee ballots that had not been included in the count. Armenia’s mugshot from his September 2019 arrest in Florida has repeatedly been circulated in a local Facebook group  Steve Armenia became the target of deeply personal Facebook attacks while campaigning for office in Clifton, Maine, according to reports Clifton residents attend a town meeting amid an increasingly bitter political divide fueled by rival local Facebook groups The Maine Supreme Judicial Court ruled in July that the ballots should be counted. Both were cast for Armenia, handing him victory by 115 votes to 114 and giving him a seat on Clifton’s Select Board. Armenia, a former Marine and Customs and Border Protection employee, had previously run unsuccessfully for office in 2024. He pursued the one-year term after another selectman resigned amid backlash over decisions made by the board. Armenia’s criminal history became a major subject of the Facebook attacks against him, according to the Bangor Daily News. His mugshot from a September 2019 arrest in Florida has been posted dozens of times in a group called Clifton Maine Truth, according to the outlet. A booking record shows Armenia was arrested by the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office on charges of battery on a law-enforcement officer and resisting an officer with violence. The Bangor Daily News reported that he pleaded guilty to the battery charge. The newspaper also reported that Armenia has been arrested on multiple occasions. Steve Armenia secured a one-year Select Board seat by one vote after two misplaced absentee ballots were counted Jeff Roberts runs the Clifton Maine Truth Facebook group, which he acknowledged has contributed to the town’s division ‘to a degree’ Posts referred to him as ‘Steve “the criminal” Armenia’ and reportedly included a copy of his property deed and photographs of his girlfriend and son. Messages were also allegedly sent directly to members of his family. ‘What have I done in that town for those people not to like me?’ Armenia told the Bangor Daily News. ‘If they let me know, I can apologize and make it better.’ The Clifton Maine Truth group is run by 65-year-old resident Jeff Roberts, who started the page in 2023 after being removed from another local group over critical posts about town officials. Roberts said he created the group to allow residents to say anything as long as it was not a lie. However, screenshots reviewed by the Daily Mail show Roberts repeatedly targeting Armenia before and after his election. In an April 24 post, Roberts wrote in capital letters: ‘STEVE ARMENIA IS STILL IN THE PENOBSCOT COUNTY JAIL!!! HE WOULD HAVE MADE A GREAT SELECTMAN FOR CLIFTON!!!’ Jeff Roberts repeatedly shared posts attacking Steve Armenia, including one claiming he remained in the Penobscot County Jail and sarcastically calling him a potential ‘great selectman’ Clinton's municipal office, which has become the epicenter of an increasingly divided Maine town Roberts later described Armenia’s election as a ‘sad day for Clifton’ and claimed he was not a town resident. He also accused Armenia of participating in what he called ‘another one of Debbie’s dirty deals,’ an apparent reference to the town clerk. The Daily Mail has contacted Armenia and the Town of Clifton for comment on the allegation. After Armenia joined the Select Board, Roberts announced plans to begin an effort to remove him from office. ‘The way I read the recall amendment is the beginning of the current term,’ Roberts wrote. ‘I will be starting recall on August 1st to get rid of Steve Armenia.’ Roberts also targeted Planning Board chairman Bruce Jellison, publishing information about his business and alleging that it was not properly registered with state or federal authorities. Roberts claimed Armenia was not a Clifton resident and accused him of participating in ‘another one of Debbie’s dirty deals.’ In a separate post, Roberts described Armenia joining the Select Board as a ‘sad day for Clifton’ and vowed to support an effort to recall him Jellison hit back in a separate Facebook post criticizing Roberts’ influence on Clifton politics. He acknowledged taking the insults personally and admitted some of his own remarks had been ‘petty.’ Roberts told the Bangor Daily News that his Facebook page had contributed to the town’s division ‘to a degree.’ He also said eight harassment orders had been brought against him. However, the newspaper did not identify who filed the complaints, what conduct was alleged or how many resulted in final orders. Roberts maintained that his posts were not personal and said his aim was to elect officials who cared about Clifton. Despite their years-long online feud, Roberts and Armenia said they had never held a substantive conversation in person. Their encounters have instead led to calls to police. Both men were ordered to leave one town meeting after an argument during which Armenia told Roberts to ‘meet me outside.’ Roberts said he waited until Armenia had left before going outside. Roberts also targeted Planning Board chairman Bruce Jellison by publishing information about his business and alleging it was not properly registered The conflict has since spread throughout Clifton’s government. Jellison recently resigned as chairman of the Planning Board, blaming the hostility surrounding comments made on social media. ‘Recent events make this in the best interest of Clifton as this public outpouring of hate affects town business,’ Jellison wrote while announcing his resignation online. Jellison said his Facebook posts had been taken out of context and used against him. He also claimed a resident he had previously considered a friend confronted him over the posts during a Planning Board meeting. Select Board member John Williams has also become a frequent target of online attacks. Williams stepped down as chairman after Armenia called for the board’s officer positions to be reconsidered during his first meeting. He said social media had created echo chambers that encouraged residents to reinforce their own views instead of listening to one another. ‘At this point, social media seems to create more toxicity, drama and division between people in small towns versus allowing us to focus on getting basic things accomplished and focusing on what we have in common,’ Williams told the Bangor Daily News. Roberts accused election officials Jan Logan and Debbie Hodgins of misconduct and claimed Logan tried to fight him after a town meeting The town’s political factions now reportedly sit in separate groups during public meetings based on which officials they support online. Police have been called to meetings to deal with confrontations, even though Select Board gatherings typically attract fewer than a dozen residents. The turmoil comes as Clifton faces serious administrative and financial problems. The town clerk was fired in July, board members have allegedly held meetings without one another and the town remains more than $2 million in debt. It remains unclear how much the conflict affects residents who are not involved in town politics. Two people interviewed by the Bangor Daily News at the Clifton General Store said they knew about the online feuds but deliberately avoided participating. Similar disputes have caused problems in other small Maine communities, where officials have blamed online abuse and political division for discouraging qualified residents from seeking public office. Some towns have struggled to fill positions and have temporarily closed municipal offices because of staff shortages. Roberts and Armenia have now both acknowledged that the tone of Clifton’s online debate needs to change. Roberts conceded that calling people names would not reunite the community and said his Facebook group should allow residents to express their views without attacking others. Armenia said the groups did not need to be shut down but should become ‘part of the solution instead of part of the problem.’ ‘Post something nice once in a while,’ he added. The Daily Mail has contacted Roberts, Armenia and the Town of Clifton for further comment.