NEWBURGH, Maine — Two weeks after arguments and hostilities caused one man to take his name off a list of budget committee candidates and a selectman to get up and leave, the Newburgh Board of Selectmen was on its best behavior Monday night.

The selectmen wrapped up their meeting in just 44 minutes, well under the sometimes 2½ to three hours some meetings take up.

“That has to be a record,” Selectman Steve Burgess said after the meeting.

During the last meeting, on Nov. 19, Selectman Claude Bolduc got up and left the meeting after exchanging words with fellow Selectman Stanley “Skip” Smith.

The exchange of words began after Bolduc suggested a way for selectmen to review the town warrant at their leisure, instead of under the supervision of the treasurer, which is required under state law.

“You’re advocating breaking the law,” Smith said to Bolduc during the Nov. 19 meeting.

“Skip, if you raise your voice one more time at me, I’m leaving,” said Bolduc.

“That’d be nice,” replied Smith.

Bolduc then got up and left.

Earlier in the same meeting, Brian Carlisle, who was in the audience, asked to have his name removed from the budget committee nominations due to the arguing.

“I offered to join this committee thinking that this town had moved past what we went through the past couple of years,” said Carlisle on Nov. 19. “Seeing this tonight — I withdraw my name. I’m not interested.”

There was no arguing during Monday’s meeting.

At just two minutes into the meeting, Selectman Chris Yountz announced that he would be relinquishing his role as chairman of the board.

“I have served as chair on this board about as long as I’ve been on this board. And we were talking about revolving the chair,” said Yountz. “Since I do not plan to run [for selectman] next year, I would like for someone else to take the chair position, so someone else would have some experience doing it.”

Yountz asked the board for nominations.

“Don’t look at me,” said Bolduc.

“You want me to take it for a while?” Smith asked Yountz. “I don’t want it, but I’ll try it.”

Yountz made the motion to nominate Smith as the chairman. It passed in a 4-0 vote. Yountz remained the chairman for the remainder of the meeting.

Serena Bemis-Goodall, administrative assistant and manager, informed the board that she was told about a group of elderly people who wanted to use the town office’s gym in order to walk for exercise.

However, because she was not the recreation director, she could not approve it. She asked the board to make her the recreation director.

“We need somebody who can say yes or no [to requests],” said Yountz.

Bemis-Goodall was unanimously approved to be the recreation director in a 4-0 vote.

The board also announced that the town office will be closed on Monday, Dec. 24, and Monday, Dec. 31.