LIMESTONE, Maine — After holding an executive session, members of the Select Board decided June 20 to table further discussion on the search for a new town manager until July 11.
Some board members were hesitant to review a search committee’s findings with Interim Town Manager Tom Stevens on vacation for a month, and Select Board Chairman Tom Albert cited possible “dissention” amongst members of the search panel over their recommendation.
Albert said during the public portion of the meeting that he thought some members of the search committee had changed their minds after the group had come to a consensus on a new manager. The Select Board chair said he would like to see the committee meet once more before the town reviews the findings.
The search committee, formed on March 28, consists of select board member Fred Pelletier, Greg Ward (who was a member of the select board at the time of the group’s formation), and three local residents Gary O’Neal, Paul Poitras, and Joe McLaughlin. Since then, the committee has reviewed applicants for the position, which was vacated when selectmen fired former Town Manager Matthew Pineo in late 2017.
Police Chief Stacey Mahan then served as interim town manager from December 2017 until April of this year, when the Select Board appointed former Presque Isle City Manager Tom Stevens to serve as interim manager.
Pelletier, the board member who also sits on the search committee, agreed with Albert that the group needs to meet again, and said he would contact fellow committee member Greg Ward and schedule a meeting.
As of June 21, the search committee was expected to meet on July 5. Then they would be expected to discuss their findings with the Select Board during an executive session July 11. It is unclear whether the Select Board will make a final decision that night.
