LIMESTONE, Maine — Tom Stevens, former municipal managers for both Limestone and Presque Isle, officially began his duties as Limestone’s new interim town manager on April 17.
The Limestone Select Board appointed Stevens as interim manager on Monday, April 9 after the town’s police chief, Stacey Mahan, stepped down after nearly four months as interim manager.
Stevens was Limestone’s town manager from 1983 to 1992 and served as Presque Isle’s city manager from 1992 to 2010. He then served as the area director of rural development for the Maine Department of Agriculture until his retirement in 2016.
“Limestone has always been very near and dear to me. My wife is from Limestone and the town was where I served in my first manager position,” Stevens said, before a meeting of the Limestone Select Board on Wednesday, April 18.
Stevens said as interim manager, his topmost goal is to assist Limestone with finding a permanent town manager. The town has been without a manager since December 2017, when the select board voted unanimously to fire Town Manager Matthew Pineo after only 10 weeks on the job.
Following Pineo’s departure, Limestone formed a citizens committee to help vet applications. Stevens said he wants to meet with the citizen committee so the town can find a new manager “as quickly as possible.”
“I plan to meet with the citizens committee in the near future,” Stevens said. “We don’t have a firm date on when we want to hire a new manager, but I know that there are candidates that have applied. We want to move the process along sooner rather than later.”
Stevens said he is not interested in becoming town manager, because he wants to spend more time with family during his retirement. His other goals include helping to develop the yearly town budget, updating policies and procedures and creating a five-year capital plan.
During Wednesday night’s meeting, Stevens thanked board members for allowing him to step in and help move Limestone forward as a community.
“I appreciate the board’s confidence in me in filling this role and I thank the individuals who stepped into interim positions before my time here,” Stevens said. “I suggest that we honor them during the next Select Board meeting on May 2.”
Select Board Chairman Tom Albert thanked Stevens for filling a critical role in Limestone.
“We greatly need your knowledge and experience and we’re grateful for you stepping up helping us move forward,” Stevens said.
The town office will host a formal public meet-and-greet for Stevens from 4 to 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 19.
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- Tom Stevens, new interim town manager for Limestone, addresses the town’s Select Board during their April 18 meeting. Stevens previously served as town manager for Limestone and city manager for Presque Isle and was appointed interim manager last week after Police Chief Stacey Mahan stepped down from the position. Also pictured is Select Board member Melissa Devoe. (Melissa Lizotte)
