MILO, Maine — The Board of Selectmen voted unanimously Tuesday to name Milo Police Chief Damien Pickel as interim town manager to replace David Maynard.
The selectmen’s 5-0 vote follows the town charter, which specifies that the police chief is next in line to temporarily replace a town manager once the chairman of the board has done it, Chairman Lee McMannus said. McMannus said he served in that capacity for about two weeks.
Named town manager at $60,000 annually in August 2012, Maynard and the board severed their relationship when selectmen opted to not renew his contract. Maynard’s last day was March 17.
“The town decided to move in a different direction,” McMannus said Tuesday. He praised Maynard for his work aiding the successful redevelopment of what is now the Milo Heritage Building section of downtown, which McMannus said was the primary reason Maynard was hired.
Maynard succeeded Roger Raymond, who served as the interim town manager after former town manager Jeff Gahagan resigned in April 2012. Maynard had previously served as the Belfast town manager from 1982 to 1986. Attempts to contact Maynard via telephone or social media were unsuccessful on Wednesday.
Selectmen will help Pickel, who will continue as police chief, to manage the town by rotating through the town office over the next several weeks and taking individual governmental chores. Pickel said he won’t get paid extra money for the work but that the town office “basically runs itself.”
The town will pay the Maine Municipal Association about $2,500 to search for Maynard’s replacement.
The board agreed to name McMannus, JSI Store Fixtures owner Gordon Smith, town Treasurer Robin Larson, SAD 41 Superintendent Michael Wright and resident Kevin Black to a volunteer search committee that will interview candidates and recommend a replacement or replacements to the selectmen.
McMannus said the committee was a larger and more community-representative body than had been named previously to hire a town manager. As owner of one of the town’s largest businesses, Smith would represent town business interests; Wright, the school system; Larson, town employees; and Black, town residents.
The idea, McMannus said, is to have them work together to select a manager who can best deal with their interests and promote a closer relationship between those interests and town government. The committee’s work also will save money that would otherwise be paid to the Maine Municipal Association, he said.
McMannus said he hopes to have a replacement hired in three months.