CARIBOU, Maine – Caribou is searching for a code enforcement officer again just months after finding someone new.
In June, John Gibson replaced former code enforcement officer Ken Murchison, who retired in May 2023. The city searched over a year for Murchison’s replacement, during which City Manager Penny Thompson took on code enforcement duties.
Gibson’s final day will be Sept. 26. The city is accepting applications for his position until Sept. 30.
In recent years, Caribou has dealt with a surge in complaints about blighted properties, with staff prioritizing those deemed longtime nuisances or potential dangers to the public. Though residents continued voicing concerns, Gibson recently said he has been making progress on several properties and that people should continue being watchful.
“He took citizen concerns very seriously,” Thompson said Thursday. “Many residents were relieved that we found someone [and he] hit the ground running on his first days.”
Gibson has submitted his letter of resignation and applied to be Aroostook County’s community services director for unorganized territories. County commissioners will vote on hiring Gibson at their Sept. 18 meeting in Fort Kent.
“Opportunities like this do not come along very often, so when I had the chance to apply, I did,” Gibson said.
Before joining the city staff, Gibson was deputy director of Aroostook Emergency Management Agency and deputy chief for North Lakes Fire & Rescue. Gibson worked in fire protection in Texas before moving to Caribou with his family in 2017.
If Caribou does not find a suitable candidate, Thompson said that the city might consider utilizing services from a regional code enforcement officer.
Earlier this year, Northern Maine Development Commission was one of three state development commissions who applied for a FEMA grant that would allow them to hire a regional officer to serve Aroostook towns that cannot find or afford their own.
FEMA has approved the 3-year $2.5 million grant, part of which will go toward NMDC to pay for a regional officer’s salary and mileage expenses. NMDC, which covers Aroostook, Washington and Northern Penobscot counties, is still waiting for an official notice from FEMA to proceed with hiring an officer, said Jay Kamn, NMDC senior planner.
