The city of Caribou has hired its first full-time code enforcement officer in a year and a half.
Tim St. Peter, who was most recently the deputy director of economic development in Presque Isle, and the city’s code enforcement officer before that, began the job on March 31.
He was officially introduced at a City Council meeting Monday night.
“We are so delighted that Tim has come from the dark side,” City Manager Penny Thompson joked. “We have a lot of issues here that need the firm hand and guiding principles of a fully certified code enforcement officer.”
Councilors on Monday also approved St. Peter’s appointment as Caribou’s Health Officer, a position formerly held by Fire Chief Brian Lajoie.
Since the city’s code enforcement officer retired in May 2023, Caribou has only had someone in the role full-time for less than four months.
A replacement hired in June 2024 left that September. Tony Michaud, Caribou’s deputy assessor’s agent and building official, filled the role in the interim in a deputy capacity.
“There’s a lot of work that’s been left undone because the position hasn’t been filled,” St. Peter said in an interview. “I’m hoping to catch up on that kind of stuff and move forward with cleaning up some blight issues that I’ve been informed about.”
The council and St. Peter identified mitigating run-down properties in the city as a priority. The cleanup of such properties has been a goal of the council for years.
St. Peter is a Caribou native and graduate of Caribou High School.