The Hancock County treasurer who was publicly accused by other county officials of not adequately managing the county’s finances has stepped down.
Michael Boucher, who was elected to the position as a write-in candidate in 2018, wrote in a letter to Deputy County Administrator Rebekah Knowlton dated March 27 that he would be leaving the position for personal health reasons, the Ellsworth American reported.
Boucher was not available for comment as of Wednesday afternoon.
Boucher, who is registered as a Republican in Sorrento, did not file paperwork to run in the June primaries by 5 p.m. on the March 15 deadline, according to the Secretary of State’s office.
That comes after the county brought in Monica Cease last fall to run the county’s finance office after county administrator Scott Adkins told commissioners that Boucher — who had no prior experience in fiscal management — was not making an attempt to improve his ability to keep the county’s books in order.
Boucher denied the accusation.
Unlike the positions of county sheriff or district attorney, being elected county treasurer does not require prior experience or professional certifications. Candidates for county treasurer need only to be a resident of the county where they run for office.
By law, an elected county treasurer’s duties are to receive and account for revenue, to pay and account for bills, and to assure there is an external audit of the county’s finances each year. Cease was hired to oversee daily operations of the county’s financial office.
Boucher also reportedly failed to participate in a majority of commissioner meetings in 2021, leading county commissioners to seek a charter that would allow the county treasurer position to become an appointed position, rather than an elected one.