The resignations this week of two Houlton police officers leaves an already stretched department down five officers.
Officer Seraphima Smalley and Cpl. Austin White turned in resignations on Thursday, according to Chief Tim DeLuca.
Smalley’s last day is Aug. 14 and White’s is Aug. 13, DeLuca said.
In the past eight months, four Houlton officers have resigned to take on higher paying roles with the sheriff. The starting pay for an entry level officer in Houlton is $26.09 per hour. The starting pay with the sheriff is $35.20, Presque Isle Police, $30.37 and Caribou, $32.71, according to public records.
The department is budgeted for 14 positions, including the chief and captain jobs. When the officers leave in August, there will be only nine on staff. Until new officers are hired and trained, DeLuca and Captain Jasmine Cyr may have to take on patrol shifts, DeLuca said.
The Houlton police have been working without a contract since December 31.
According to DeLuca, they are currently in mediation.
The latest resignations add to an exodus of staff and elected officials that began in the wake of the former town manager’s arrest last fall. During the upheaval, two police officers, five out of seven town councilors and the Director of Public Works and the Houlton International Airport Chris Stewart stepped down within a matter of weeks. In January, two more department heads – the Code Enforcement Officer and Director of Recreation – stepped down.
Former Town Manager Cameron Clark’s contract was terminated in December, just months after his appointment. During Clark’s short tenure, the town came under fire for their controversial surveillance camera system and multiple court challenges tied to the release of public records.
In September, while giving Gov. Janet Mills a town tour, Clark was arrested and jailed on felony victim tampering and misdemeanor domestic assault charges. He later pleaded guilty to a reduced misdemeanor charge.
During the Cameron Clark controversy, the police union declared its unanimous loss of confidence in municipal officials in the aftermath of his arrest while he was still on the job.
The patrolmen and dispatchers said at the time that, as law enforcement professionals, they know more than most how the legal process works. But they also understood that common practice would be to place the town manager on administrative leave while his case worked through the legal system, according to the October 2025 letter.
“We believe the Council’s duty to the people of Houlton requires them to ensure that the Town’s business is being overseen in a transparent and integrous manner,” they said, pointing to their own code of conduct that demands they meet the “highest standards of integrity, trust and morality.”
According to the letter, any patrolman or dispatcher not meeting those standards in their professional or personal life or those who broke the law would be placed on administrative leave.
Clark was hired after Town Manager Jeremy Smith resigned suddenly after eight months on the job.
When Clark was placed on administrative leave in October, Town Clerk Khylee Wampler was appointed assistant town manager. Until Director of Community Development Nancy Ketch was appointed interim town manager in January, Wampler juggled multiple vacant roles including town clerk, assistant town manager, interim tax collector, interim general assistance administrator, public access officer, deputy treasurer, election warden and registrar of voters.
With Ketch’s Jan. 15 appointment, town officials asked her to focus on staffing and internal issues, she said at the time.
“Sometimes it’s [easier] to have an internal person maintain some continuity before a new person comes,” said Ketch in January. “I’ve spoken to all of [the department heads], I asked them to share with their staff that I’m here if somebody needs something.”
Ketch did not respond to Bangor Daily News requests this week for comment on the pay discrepancies between the police and sheriff’s departments and the town’s plans to recruit and retain employees.
In addition to the five police officer vacancies, the town is hiring for a town manager, code enforcement officer, treasurer and firefighter/EMT. Also, 17 elected municipal leadership positions will be on the November ballot for the mid-term elections.
