LEWISTON, Maine — Two Lewiston city councilors have been formally censured by the rest of the city council for using a private messaging app that deletes messages automatically — a move that violated city policy around public records.

The unanimous vote took place Tuesday night and included a vote from Mayor Carl Sheline, who called the action necessary to preserve public trust.

"Breaches in public trust need to be taken seriously," Sheline said. "It’s very important for the council to hold themselves accountable."

Councilors Joshua Nagine and Scott Harriman were found to have used Signal, an encrypted messaging app, to discuss city business. The issue? Messages in Signal can disappear after they’re read — meaning there’s no written record of the discussion, as required by law.

“When a

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