LIMESTONE, Maine — After firing Town Manager Matthew Pineo last week, Limestone’s Select Board voted on Dec. 13 to hire Police Chief Stacey Mahan as an interim town manager.
Residents filled nearly every chair in the board room for the meeting, with over 20 in attendance. Select Board members again did not voice any reasons for letting go of Pineo, who just started on the job on Oct. 2.
But during the public comment section of the meeting, a couple of residents expressed displeasure with how the process had been handled.
Julie Weston, owner of Manaus Books and Coffee Shop, encouraged the board to involve the public as much as possible in the selection of Limestone’s next town manager.
“I hope the board listened to the comments from last week and realizes the public does want a voice in the process of going forward,” she said. “I know there are things that can not be done in public, but I would urge the board to utilize the public as much as possible in the search for a new town manager.”
Weston suggested forming a committee that includes members of the public in an effort to vet the next manger more thoroughly, and praised Pineo’s work while he was with the town.
“Love him or hate him,” she continued, “I think Matt did some good things for the town; there was a positive energy amongst townspeople and I’d like to see that continue.”
Jocelyn Dillon told board members that all town employees need to be held accountable for their actions.
“Whether Matt did or did not do anything, he departed, but I think if he’s held accountable, then everyone needs to be held accountable,” Dillon said. “If there are things going on, they need to stop, because the things that are said behind closed doors are also said throughout town. You know what I’m talking about.”
Limestone resident Joline Rossignol commended the board members, telling them she has faith in their decisions.
“I elected a few of our officials,” she said, “and I believe that they have the best interests of the town in mind.”
The board members did not respond to any of the public comments. They had issued a press release on Dec. 8 indicating that “personnel matters are not a matter of public record.” They added that they “acted within their capacity and felt that it was in the best interests of the Town of Limestone to relieve Matthew Pineo of his duties …”
Pineo was still in a probationary period and not yet under contract, so the board had the right to terminate him without cause.
Following the public comment session Wednesday night, the Select Board members went to another room to hold an executive session to determine who would act as interim town manager pending a search for a more permanent replacement.
They were out for about half an hour before they returned and board member Melissa Devoe motioned to appoint Mahan as interim town manager.
Select Board members Devoe, Greg Ward, Steven Beaulieu, and Fred Pelletier voted in favor of Mahan while Selectman Tom Albert abstained.
A few people in the audience shook hands with Mahan, offering their congratulations.
The board then went into another executive session to discuss an unrelated personnel matter. No action was taken afterward.
Mahan told the Aroostook Republican moments after his selection that he wasn’t surprised by the vote because Chairman Beaulieu had approached him earlier in the week to let him know he was being considered for the position.
“I said I’d be more than interested to help out,” Mahan said. “It’ll be a challenge, something new.”
He added that it seems to be a trend for municipalities to utilize their police chief as an interim manager.
It’s a trend that makes sense for Mahan, who has two decades of municipal experience, three in Presque Isle, and 17 in Limestone.
“You pick up some things,” he said. “I have connections and people I can talk to if I have questions. They say there’s a manual for everything, so hopefully I have a big fat book to guide me.”
Regarding Pineo’s departure, Mahan said he has “no knowledge of any reasons” why the board fired him last week.
“It’s a personnel matter and I haven’t heard anything, even as a department head, and [the board members] wouldn’t discuss it with anyone in the public,” Mahan said.
“Ultimately executive sessions are held for those reasons,” he said, adding that he also has attended executive sessions regarding his own employment.
Mahan said his appointment was effective as soon as the board voted in favor of it Wednesday night, but he added that in the last few days he has been acting as a “buffer” in Pineo’s absence, helping with municipal issues as much as he could.
He acknowledged that it will be demanding to simultaneously serve as chief and town manager.
“I’m also a council member in Mars Hill, where I live, which has been a learning experience,” Mahan said. “I’m looking forward to this as a challenge.”
Moving forward, Mahan said he wants to keep everything “good and smooth,” and that he hopes the Select Board will “look hard and find the right person” in their search for a new town manager.
With 17 years of working with town department heads in Limestone, Mahan said he doesn’t see any “concerns or issues” ahead.
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- More than 20 residents attend Limestone’s Dec. 13 Select Board meeting in the wake of the firing the previous week of Town Manager Matthew Pineo. On Wednesday, the board selected Police Chief Stacey Mahan to also act as interim town manager until a more permanent manager can be hired. (Christopher Bouchard)
