LIMESTONE, Maine — While the employment status of the town’s police chief hangs in limbo, all sides of the issue say they are waiting for word from legal counsel before taking any further action.
Stacey Mahan, the Limestone police chief since 2007, did not have his yearly appointment confirmed during the July 18 meeting of the town Board of Selectmen.
The unanimous vote caught the chief by surprise.
“I was not aware this was happening,” Mahan, who was not at the July 18 meeting, said Wednesday afternoon. “I can’t really point to anything specific that could have caused this.”
James Pelletier, chairman of the Limestone Board of Selectmen, on Wednesday, however, said Mahan had plenty of warning his position could be in jeopardy.
“I believe each board member had their own reasons for voting the way they did,” Pelletier said. “I know I had mine.”
For Pelletier — who stressed he was speaking only for himself — the reasons came down to what he said was lack of action on the part of Mahan.
“Early this year we had an executive session and gave [Mahan] a to-do list,” Pelletier said. “Those items did not happen in a timely manner or in the manner as should be done by a department head.”
Among the items on that list, Pelletier said, was a personnel issue and a complete inventory of all police department equipment.
“We just got that [inventory] information a week and a half ago,” he said.
The personnel matter remains unresolved, Pelletier said.
Mahan was not available to respond to those allegations later Wednesday afternoon, but earlier in the day said he had no indications of anything he may have done, or not done, to lead to his appointment denial.
“It was a total surprise,” he said, adding he learned of the decision from a fellow Limestone police officer who had seen a televised broadcast of the meeting.
In fact, Mahan said he was unaware his position ever came up for board approval on an annual basis.
“I was hired five years ago,” he said. “Apparently these votes to approve [the position] come up every year, but I was not aware of them.”
In addition, Mahan said he does not have an employment contract with the town of Limestone.
“There was no reason given for their decision,” Donna Bernier, Limestone town manager, said Wednesday. “It was in open session and I was completely surprised by the move.”
Mahan was subject to employee evaluations, according to Pelletier, but neither he nor his board have seen them.
“The town manager sees those,” Pelletier said.
The action on Mahan’s appointment was part of a single agenda item under old business to confirm the appointments of department heads as made by the town manager.
In addition to police chief, the fire chief, director of the recreation department and director of public works were up for confirmation, Bernier said.
Only Mahan’s was not confirmed.
Despite that action on the part of the board, Bernier said she instructed Mahan to report for work and to continue in his position as police chief pending legal opinion on the matter.
Which is where the matter currently stands.
“I don’t have a clue what is going to happen next,” Mahan said. “I want to find out what the plans are as much as anyone else.”
The matter is far from over, Pelletier agreed.
“There are questions for our legal counsel,” he said. “This is not done.”
The issue likely will be discussed at the next regular board meeting on Aug. 1, Bernier said, and possibly sooner than that at a special board meeting.
In the meantime, the decision has not affected the chief’s commitment to his job.
“I love this community,” Mahan said. “I will not back away from doing what is right just because I was done wrong.”
A complete inventory of all Dept equipment should be a regular occurence, and being in Maine, done in the spring when the Dept can get it all out and check it, by serial number and quantity, to account for it all. It also needs to be checked for servicability, as should the Fire Dept’s equipment since the Town’s Fire Insurance rating is so dependent on it and the very real possibility of a ‘No Notice ‘OSHA Inspection. In the military this is known as a ‘Showdown’ inspection where everything is checked to be sure that it work’s as it’s suppossed to since someone’s life depends on it.
As far as the Personnel issue goes, why do I smell the Town Council trying to run the Police Dept. ? Personnel issues are the responsibility of the Chief and no one else. If some Council member has a ‘beef’ with an Officer, fine. The Council Member can have a meeting with the Chief and make their case. But it’s the Chief’s Dept to run, not the Council’s. Look at Wilton. They’ve been thru at least 6 Officer’s in the last 3 years because their Chief keeps letting the Town Council walk all over him instead of standing up and tell the Council to back off and let him do what he was hired to do. Personnel turnover and training costs are a huge manpower cost factor. Even the American Management Association admits that it takes 3 years of work AFTER the hiring and probationary period to recover the initial costs of bringing some one on. Wilton is at least 10 years behind and still losing ground. And this nonsense isn’t limited to Maine. NH is in the same boat to a worse degree. Folk’s, it’s time we let those we hire do their job and get out of their way. That or we are gonna have the ole ‘ ‘Too many Chief’s and not enough Indian’s’ joke coming around to bite us all in the keester.
Actually most small towns are still run by the good ole boy network council and most citizens are unaware they run the town not the taxpayers anyway. So with the new 24 hours media it becomes more and more a public topic is the only way this will ever change. Good for the media to publish so more taxpayers realize they need not just pay attention in DC but also in their own community. It takes a village to change the rules but it takes 1 to get the village to take notice and then hopefully change it for the better of all the people not just the top feeders. Oh yeah and by the way, the good ole boy network hates the media attention worse than anything so keep talking ya’ll.
Right on, and there is more of it throughout the State I am sure.
Wilton is a great example, they want to be the Chief, I know that as fact, and only hire a chief that they can totally control in every aspect, professionally and personally.
Hey. Although I have not been i contact with Mr. Mahan in many years. I can say his first love is law enforcement, and his second is the people he serves and protects. He is a man of pride, and given with what resources he is given (which sounds like the town board members may lack) will give you a better job than any other man. So, with that said Mr. Mahan no matter what happens I wish you the best of luck. Board members stop trying to micro-manage, and grow up because after your term no one will remember what you did there, but will remeber what good Mr. Mahan did for the community.
This was not done appropriately. The process was poor.
This is why Mayberry RFD was a make believe tv show and not a reality show.
Sounds like sticky fingers maybe
Sounds like there is someone in the wings who the selectmen want to fill the Chief of Police position. Is Chief Mahan an outsider?
Could be anything, politicians in small towns are extremely arrogant and egotistical. Don’t know the guy, but if he ran astray of one of the selectmen he began walking on a slippery slope. When I worked in a small town department and debated an issue with one selectman, it was the beginning of the end, you cannot depend on your boss, the town manager, they are his bosses and he or she could be next.
Something just doesn’t pass the smell test here. I’d say the Board of Selectmen has some explaining to do to the citizens of Limestone. The whole thing just seems back-handed because for them to take this action (or rather inaction) without discussng it with the Town Manager is inexcusable and smacks of micromanagement. I’d be at the next town meeting is I was a resident to demand some answers- I think ultimately the voters of Limestone need to hold these clowns accountable.