HOULTON, Maine — The town is once again without a permanent town manager following the abrupt resignation of Eugene Conlogue.
In his stead, the council unanimously appointed Police Chief Butch Asselin as the interim town manager.
At Monday night’s council meeting, the board accepted Conlogue’s resignation, effective immediately. Conlogue did not attend the council meeting, but told the newspaper on Tuesday that he watched the meeting online from his home in Presque Isle.
In his letter of resignation, which was obtained by the Houlton Pioneer Times, Conlogue stated he was “pleased and highly honored” to have served as town manager for the past year and a half.
“As a native of Houlton, the privilege to serve this community has been a dream come true,” he wrote. “Over that period, there have been many challenges and opportunities to address. In many of those, we have had success in moving the town forward. There have also been some issues that have not been successfully resolved to my satisfaction or yours.”
The letter went on to explain that he met with council chairman Paul Cleary and vice chairman Sue Tortello last week, where they expressed dissatisfaction with his performance.
“While no specifics were given, except for reference to a pair of executive sessions to discuss some concerns, it was clear to me that I no longer have the sufficient confidence of the council to continue in my current position,” Conlogue wrote. “For a manager to be successful, it is imperative that he has the support of his elected officials.”
As part of his resignation agreement, Conlogue will receive 10 weeks of severance pay; 16.25 days of vacation pay; 13 days of sick pay; and continuation of health care benefits until July 31. The agreement also requires the town to provide Conlogue with a letter of recommendation.
The total dollar value of the severance package is $24,426. His final day with the town was Friday.
The town hired Conlogue in September 2012. His hiring ended a lengthy search following the resignation of previous town manager Doug Hazlett, who resigned in March, 2012. Hazlett served as town manager for seven years.
Wade Hanson, a former code enforcement officer and economic development director for the town, was selected as Houlton’s next town manager in August of 2012. Hanson, however, rescinded his application less than two weeks later before ever taking over the position. Hanson currently serves as a member of the town council.
Prior to coming to Houlton, Conlogue served as Millinocket’s town manager, a position he held from July 1999 until tendering his resignation to take the post in Houlton. He also served as a town manger in Gouldsboro (January-July, 1999), Fort Fairfield (July 1996-June 1998) and Washburn (November 1991-July 1996).
The last time Houlton was without a town manager, assistant town manager Cathy O’Leary filled the interim role.
The appointment of Asselin will not affect his wife’s municipal position. Lauren Asselin is a tax collector for Houlton. In years past, the town had a nepotism policy in place that prevented the hiring of any individual who would have a supervisory role over a family member.
However, the council changed its personnel policy in 2012 to allow family members to be hired, provided they receive specific consent from the board.
At the present moment, Butch Asselin will not receive any additional compensation for taking on the role of interim town manager, nor will any member of the Houlton Police Department receive extra money for any increased responsibilities.
“I appreciate the confidence the town council has in my abilities to oversee the affairs of the community until a permanent replacement can been found,” Asselin said. “In 2004, I was the interim town manager in Skowhegan for nearly six months while still serving as their police chief. There have been many instances in Maine where communities have temporarily utilized their police chief in this capacity. Collaboration and communication are a necessity in order for a manager to succeed. With the assistance of Town Clerk Cathy O’Leary, the department head’s and my own staff, I am confident that this process will flow smoothly and in the bests interests of the community.”
One point of contention for the council with Conlogue seemed to stem from the fact that he did not reside in Houlton. Conlogue owns a home in Presque Isle. The council, however, was fully aware of that fact prior to hiring Conlogue. Neither Hazlett, nor Peggy Daigle (who served as town manager before Hazlett) resided in Houlton.
In fact, the last town manager that actually lived in the town was Allan Bean back in 1999.
“I feel that our next town manager needs to be somebody that lives in our community,” Cleary said. “I don’t feel if a person goes home on the weekends, that they receive a flavor of what this town has to offer. There are a lot of things that happen in our community that our next town manager should be at. As well as the next town manager should also feel the pain of the taxpayers in Houlton.”
Councilor John White agreed.
“I agree with you about (the town manager) living in town,” White said. “I hear that complaint a lot.”
The town will not be using the services of the Maine Municipal Association in searching for its next town manager. The last time Houlton conducted its search, the council did use the services of MMA, but that came with a price tag of about $5,700, not including advertising costs.
The next regular council meeting is set for Monday, April 28 at 6 p.m.
