Zakk Maher, town manager of Mechanic Falls, was back at work Tuesday morning. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal
MECHANIC FALLS — Town Manager Zakk Maher, who was returned to his position by a vote of the Town Council on Monday night after having been fired in June, said in a statement Tuesday morning he was “apprehensive but optimistic” about his return.
He added he is committed to moving forward “transparently … in hopes to re-establish trust and accountability in the eyes of the residents of Mechanic Falls.”
Maher was not at the meeting Monday night when the four councilors who voted to terminate his contract in June rescinded that vote in front of a packed gymnasium at the Municipal Building.
His lawyer, Adam Lee, spoke for him publicly, saying Maher was pleased with the reversal.
Maher wrote in his statement he remained “unsure of the reasons for my termination, as I was not in the room when those decisions were made and received only a vague statement as a basis for my termination.”
He added: “By rescinding the preliminary resolution, the council is acknowledging it did not have a basis for its action. As they have now rescinded the preliminary resolution, there will be no opportunity for my attorney to present my case against termination or to question the councilors as to their basis for terminating me.”
To move forward, Maher wrote, “I will need to have an ongoing discussion with the council about our respective roles.”
“I feel, given the way things have proceeded, that the public should be involved in those discussions,” Maher wrote. “The community must move forward together, without closed doors, to ensure that the town government’s actions are consistent with the charter and state law.”
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