MILLINOCKET, Maine — Town Council members expect to hire a temporary replacement for departing Town Manager Eugene Conlogue on Friday, Chairman John Davis said Thursday.
Councilors voted 4-2 to accept Conlogue’s resignation, 7-0 to extend his contract to his Oct. 5 departure date and 6-0 to hire Maine Municipal Association for $4,900 to help find his permanent successor. Councilors Gilda Stratton and John Raymond voted against accepting the resignation and Councilor Jimmy Busque left the meeting early.
Councilors praised Conlogue’s capable, steady leadership. They said that Houlton, where Conlogue will become town manager on Oct. 15, is getting a good, experienced worker.
“When Gene came to us 13 years ago, the town was basically, literally broke,” Councilor Jimmy Busque said. “We have gone through some tough times. Through those years Gene has made us very financially stable with a healthy surplus every year since I have been here.
“I think the town will miss him. I think the town has lost a great manager,” Busque said.
“Every time I dealt with him, he was professional,” Councilor Gilda Stratton said. “I hate to see him go.”
Davis and Councilor Michael Madore said Conlogue taught them a lot about town government.
“You were professional, informative and you were a good tutor to keep me from saying things that were amiss. I appreciate that very much. … You are not only a good manager, but you are a good person, and those two qualities are very hard to find in the same person,” Councilor Michael Madore said.
“The only thing he never taught you,” Davis joked with the loquacious Madore, “was the Reader’s Digest version.”
Conlogue, a Houlton native, will succeed Doug Hazlett, who resigned as Houlton’s town manager in March after seven years. Houlton’s Town Council voted unanimously Monday to hire him. Conlogue will be paid $78,000 in his new position during his six-month probation. He said his salary will rise to $80,000 annually, equaling his Millinocket pay, if he completes his probation successfully.
Conlogue said he was grateful and proud to have worked in Millinocket and served its people. He said he felt it was time to move on because he feared growing stale after 13 years.
Unmentioned during the meeting were earlier statements from councilors that some of them felt overshadowed by Conlogue and they felt that ideas they wanted pursued got dropped. Conlogue maintained that he was a dutiful soldier who carried out his assignments.
Several residents also spoke well of Conlogue. Former Town Councilor Money McGibbon praised Conlogue for his astute grasp of financial matters and professionalism. Residents and councilors, she said, don’t know how good they had it with Conlogue as town manager and won’t realize that until he is gone.
Councilors interviewed three candidates for the interim town manager job before Monday’s meeting. Davis will make an offer to a candidate by Friday afternoon, he said.
We are still broke and virtually bankrupt 13 years later. Good job guys. This is without doubt the most ridiculous sermon I have ever read from a bankrupt town. The guy is leaving a sinking ship and he knows it.
No, Gene got pushed out, “Matt Quimby’s Rat” and Bruce “I saved the free world” were the ones that jumped ship
.When I see an article about Millinocket, I know your hateful rants will soon be posted attacking the town, Gene, and the town councilors. Every time I see your hateful posts I can’t help but wonder if you realize that YOU are a part of the problem for Millinocket?
You may own a business here, but you don’t actually live in Millinocket and how is it that you think your hateful comments are going to help Baxter Inn? Perhaps your vile poison is the reason for some to decide not to visit Millinocket.
Your posts appear, to me, like you think you are a business expert. But an expert would not “spit on the plate he is serving dinner on”. Did you ever think your own business decisions have had an adverse impact on your business? You chose to close the dining room and build a pool-could that have been a bad choice? Who knows? But you could very well be playing a role in your own business troubles and your hateful comments are hurting the town.
Please get help. Being that hateful must really be miserable. My prayers are with you and your problems.
Lets put it another way 13 years ago there was a paper mill with a somewhat thriving community. Now we have nothing. I believe Mr. Busque is too focused on East Millinocket where he works.
‘Lets put it another way 13 years ago there was a paper mill with a somewhat thriving community. Now we have nothing”. Hey greenpeace, THE MILL IS SHUT DOWN!
“Mr. Busque is too focused on East Millinocket where he works.” Yes he works at the East Millinocket Mill. ha ha ha ha, come on green get a grip, you sure are digging now, love it! Please continue…
No kidding the mill has been shut down for years. Nice job Gene. Thank you so much! You and the town council have done a super job of ruining our town.
Gene did a lot more work to keep the mill open and you know it…
In the end, it was Paul LePage that had the greatest contribution and people that worked with his office that got East Millinocket reopened, and it was through the efforts Gene, and the Governors office that will lead to the new products production in Millinocket…!
Again, you already knew this, but you spew the Quimby lie that promoted idiots like Bubba & company to push Gene out. In the future, if you start complaining about how Quimby & her dullard supporters get treated,,,, let me be the first to say boo-hoo
Don’t even know “Bubba” . I just know that Gene was a complete waste of money for 13 years. I like Paul Lepage as governor and I believe he is doing a great job.
He certainly showed some councilors how they can go back on the towns word, which is essentially their word. Whether or not they were there at the time, as Councilors it is their word.
Yet life goes on…:)
And thankfully without Gene Conlogue in the town office.
Could not agree more. The guy made a fool of the town council.
think buzzy lee would be good fit
Thank you Gene, you have been a great asset and I wish you well.
Now starts the waiting period for a replacement, and hopefully one that Back-Door Bubba doesn’t have any say in…
It will be another stuff shirt that the town cannot afford.
Just as long as its someone that isn’t a bought & paid for Quimby minion
You seem to know what’s right and wrong. Why don’t you run for town council? You have all the answers!
First he would need to pluck his feathers & grow a pair
Just “common sense” is what I have. Would not help the council out a bit. Sorry
Blaming Gene for the mill closing is assinine. You want to point a finger point it at good ole Matt Polstein and his hand in Big A. Greenie every complaint you post is ridiculous. People like you and your greenie friends are what ruined the town.
Amen to that….!
Most would agree with you, but now we must not allow this loss go quietly into the night,,, its time to make the Quimby support know that we are willing to backup our fight by who we vote for & who we do business with…!
Gene kept it from getting personal, now he’s gone— time to make it personal…!
Federal control is better than Quimby control. You do not have a clue.
What I have is a better understanding of this than you.
*Quimby Control – Federal Control— its the same thing.
*Obama’s flunky Salazar came to Millinocket and told us that the park decision “is ultimately up to Obama”
*Obama put Quimby on the National Parks Board & supports Quimby’s National Park Immortalization
*For years Quimby and her mentally stunted supporters have been harassing locals, burning down homes, threatening, blackmailing, lying to area residents and not to mention calling them fat stupid old welfare cases (opposed to her obvious good looks)….. we know the score, do you…?
*Gene was the area’s top anti-park advocate, devoting his own time to this cause- thank god we now are getting many that are stepping up to the plate and are willing to fight the long fight
*Bubba (Millinocket town councilor) and another forced Gene out because their love for Quimby
After what these brain-dead idiots did to Gene,,, there will never be a Quimby National Park
After what Gene did to sabotage the downtown business group, i so glad he’s leaving. He may have been good at figures but he knows nothing about economic development.
A lot smarter than anyone in that group- A group that I might add is controlled by Quimby sponges
That is about the most ridiculous statement I have heard in a long time. He was the only one that had a brain on that council.
It’s party time for Millinocket .may be now we can spend nmoney on the right things not walk was and so on!!!!!
Now millinock can move on on the right track
The right track would be to go back to a selectman form of government. That’s the only way we can get rid of some of our bumbling councilors. I can’t blame anyone not running for council in this town with only 2 seats up for grabs.
We do have a higher tax rate to pay for all the stuff shirts we are blessed with, that do nothing. Gene does not even own a house in Millinocket. He can just up and leave. He just walk to the bank for 13 years and laughed all the way. Now we are all going to get our pockets picked with higher taxes. Yup we should all be a happy bunch.
one down and smith to go lol
How Did Gene Conlogue Fight Quimby
The War to Save Our Region http://bangor-launch.newspackstaging.com/2011/06/23/news/penobscot/quimby%e2%80%99s-national-park-initiative%c2%a0could-spark-lively-debate-in-millinocket/
Quimby Opposition Republicans, Democrats and Independents,,, all Conservatives http://www.mainewoodscoalition.org/
Quimby Lies http://www.wlbz2.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=135873
We as taxpayers we cannot afford another unfunded burden…!
It will remove more jobs than it creates-
The few jobs it will create will not even pay a livable wage-
It will remove access to hunters, atv use, snowmobiles, and logging-
It has been proven that this will become an ongoing cost on the backs of the taxpayers-
It has also been proven that the park will require much higher emission standards, thereby shutting down the newly opened East Millinocket Mill, and prevent any hope for any kind of
products coming out of Millinocket..!
Even liberal actor Sam Waterston is rallying for additional money to keep what we have from crumbling http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejO6c3iw3bg
Growing Quimby National Park Opposition
Governor LePage has said “the hell she is”
Senator Collins said that if she did not get a “consensus of area residents” she would block this in Washington.
Senator Snowe said “I have long expressed my concern about authorizing a federal park in northern Maine, which would cause a region of the state to be governed by decisions dictated from Washington. Keeping Maine land-use decisions in the hands of Mainers is critical important to keeping forestry jobs in our state.”
Representative Herbie Clark (D) is against a national park-
Representative Doug Thomas (R) is against a national park-
Representative Jeff Gifford (R) is against a national park-
Millinocket Conservatives (Republicans, Democrats & Independents) are against a national park-
The Millinocket Town Manager (D) is against a national park-
The majority of the Millinocket Town Council (Republicans & Democrats, but all conservatives) are against a national park-
The Millinocket Fin and Feather Club is against a national park-
The Maine Woods Coalition is against a national park-
Opposition to the park grows daily, but with each day, many conservatives are getting harassed by Quimby supporters…