The three county commissioners at the center of the salary dispute with the Budget Committee and the majority of the municipalities in Androscoggin County have decided not to seek re-election.

Commissioners Beth Bell, Randall Greenwood and Elaine Makas will step down when their terms end in January 2017. They maintain that the ongoing controversy, which is currently in the courts, had no impact on their decisions.

County government will have a new look following their departure. The four other commissioners — Ronald Chicoine, Sally Christner, Alfreda Fournier and Matthew Roy — are beginning their second year in office.

In addition to new commissioners beginning in 2017, County Clerk Patricia Fournier resigned in December 2015 after serving more than 40 years. County Administrator Larry Post has been on the job for less than five months.

“For the past year and three months, the three longtime commissioners have worked to provide support and help their transition,” Greenwood said. “This year, I feel we’ve elected two excellent commissioners from that group to serve as chair and vice chair.”

Chicoine of Lewiston serves as chairman and Christner of Turner is the vice chairwoman.

Bell, a Republican who represents Poland, Mechanic Falls and parts of Auburn, said she decided a couple of years ago not to run for re-election because of family and business considerations, but she was committed to finishing out her term.

Appointed by Gov. Paul LePage in 2011 to replace Jonathan LaBonte after he was elected mayor of Auburn, Bell won her one elected race in 2012.

Bell’s goals in her final year are to upgrade and improve dispatching service and study the pay received by county employees.

“Some of the pay scales need to be revisited,” Bell said. “That hasn’t been overhauled in a long time. The system is very antiquated.”

Greenwood, a Republican from Wales, is seeking re-election for a second term in the Maine Legislature. He said state law prevents him from running for two elected offices simultaneously. Greenwood currently holds both positions because he was in the middle of his four-year term as county commissioner when he ran for the Legislature.

Greenwood’s commission district covers Lisbon, Sabattus and Wales. He is completing his eighth year as a county commissioner and had previously served 12 years as selectman.

Makas of Lewiston could not be reached for comment, but one candidate has been circulating a petition saying Makas had encouraged him to run for her seat.

A former state legislator, Makas was appointed commissioner by Gov. John Baldacci in 2008.

It was unclear who would replace Bell, Greenwood and Makas. With nomination petitions due next Tuesday, no candidate had filed papers with the Secretary of State’s office as of Thursday morning.

Velma M. McConnell, a Democrat from Auburn, has filed with the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices of her intention to run for Bell’s seat.

At least one candidate has emerged for the vacant Register of Probate position. Republican Leslie Dubois of Lewiston has filed paperwork with the ethics commission, announcing her intention to run in November’s special election. 

Copy the Story Link