CAMDEN — The public portion of the June 23 Camden Select Board meeting was over in approximately 30 minutes before the Board entered two executive sessions, one to discuss a personnel matter, the other to discuss the Board's legal rights and duties with its attorney William Kelly.

There were no motions made following those closed-door sessions, said Camden Select Board Chair Chris Nolan, later in the evening.

At the June 23 special Select Board meeting and during the public comment period, board members heard from Camden resident Stephen Gold, who suggested the town produce a history of the paid parking program in Camden, "going back to the very first consultant," and present information about the purchase or lease of the equipment, the cost, "do we own the software, do we lease the software," and explain in what municipal account the credit card payments for parking ultimately are collected. 

Gold advocated for more information about the paid parking program, which got underway June 22.

"Transparency seems to be the word of the season," he said. "To get people's honest opinions requires, just like a business decision, all the information."

Board Chair Chris Nolan had said at the outset of the meeting that the Board would take up the matter of the paid parking program at the Board's July 7 meeting, as a discussion and action item.

Board confirms Camden Finance Director Jodi Hanson to perform town manager duties

Attorney Kelly said Finance Director Jodi Hanson was identified by Town Manager Audra Caler as the person to whom she has delegated her duties.

Caler is on medical leave for a few weeks, according to her June 16 manager's report.

"That does not mean that Jodi is now the interim manager, because the manager does not have the right appoint the manager," said Kelly. "The manager has rthe right under the charter to delegate her duties when she is unavailable."

The Camden Town Charter stipulates that the manager may designate a qualified administrative official of the municipality to perform the manager's duties during a temporary absence or disability, subject to confirmation of the Select Board.

"That is where we are," said Kelly. "The manager has exercised that authority under the Charter and now it is yours to confirm."

If the manager had not done so, "then you would have appointed an officer to perform the duties of the manager," he said.

Hanson served as Lincolnville's finance director for 20 years prior to becoming Camden's finance director. During that time, she was interim town administrator for 10 months in 2016 when Lincolnville's Town Administrator was on medical leave.

"That was my first run at this position," she said.

In 2019, Caler took a month overseas and designated Hanson to be town manager for that month. Last year, that was repeated when Caler was away for a month attending the Harvard University's session on Senior Executives in Local Government.

"I am here to keep the rudder on the ship," Hanson said. "I cannot be as versed in all of the affairs as Audra has been, but I will do my best to keep us afloat."

"Thank you, Jodi, for your efforts to step up in our time of need," said Board member Ken Gross, who moved to confirm the designation of Hanson to perform the duties of the town manager.

Police Chief candidate interviews

Camden resident Rick Bates, who has been working with a small group to interview the candidates applying for the job of Camden Police Chief, delivered a report to the Camden Select Board, "to give a sense of what has happened for the past month and a half, or two months, for us."

He said the team is excellent and has done a great job processing the applications.

Those conducting the review and interview process included Rick Bates, retired Rockport Town Manager; Bruce Boucher, retired Rockland Police Chief; Ed Boylan, retired Police Officer/HR Manager and current EMT for Camden Fire Department; and Jodi Richards, Town of Camden Benefits Coordinator/Deputy Finance Director.

"We are down to basically four candidates, and our plan is to meet tomorrow, based on what you have to say," he told the Select Board.

The group of four intends to narrow the field of four candidates, said Bates.

He said Camden was the first town in the State of Maine to adopt the town manager form of government in 1925.

"I am a strong advocate of the town manager form of government, and keep the form of select board, and keep the role of the select board in their lane, and the town manager in their lane," said Bates.

He advocated that the Select Board wait for the group's police chief recommendation.

"I do not see in the charter where the Select Board gets to make decisions about appointing a police chief," he said.

"You need to get a recommendation from a town manager before you can confirm that position," he said, adding that the group wanted to make a decision and make a presentation to the Town Manager, but the Town Manager was not here for us to do that. So now we have a Town Manager [Hanson]."

Town Attorney Kelly, however, disagreed.

"You stand corrected," he told Bates, noting that while the Town Manager oversees the town employees, "as far as getting out of the gate, the Select Board is absolutely the entity that appoints the police chief," he said.

"I don't see it there, Bill," said Bates.

"Would you like me to read it?" said Kelly.

"Yes, please," said Bates.

Kelly read the language of the charter concerning annual appointments, which are made by the Select Board.

"This is not an annual appointment," said Bates.

"It is going to be an annual appointment," said Kelly.

Board member Susan Dorr suggested the issue lies in the definition of appointment and employment, which operate through different processes.

They continued to debate the interpretation of the charter.

"Would it be appropriate for us, as the Select Board, to interview the two finalists for this position," asked Nolan.

"If you wish," said Kelly. "It would be odd if an appointed committee had that authority over the Select Board for the hiring of the police chief."

"I would agree with that," said Bates. "We have nothing to do with that. We are charged with bringing our recommendations forward."

Kelly said that the contract to be signed would be with the Select Board, not the Town Manager.

"So if we are starting from that premise that they have to hire the person, they have to appoint that person, it seems to me pretty clear that they then can manage the process as they wish," said Kelly.

Bates described to the Select Board the process by which the interviews were conducted, with a strict repetition of questions in the first round of interviews for each candidate, followed by additional interviews that were more "free-flowing," and lasting 90 minutes.

"Our job is not to make it easy for you by giving you one candidate," he said. "It is not up to us."

Nolan thanked Bates for giving insight to the process. 

"It is good to hear that you treated everyone as equally as you can in that first round of questioning and I understand you gain a lot more by having that conversation," he said.

Dorr said she was grateful that Bates and the group stepped up and offered their expertise.

"So the question is whether we are looking for two candidates that we can then interview, and discern," said Ken Gross.

"I think it is clear that we have the final say," said board member Chrisso Rheault. "But I think there needs to be a heavy weight to recommendations of the committee."

Nolan said the interviews were to be conducted in a controlled space.

Nolan said after the meeting ended that the Board decided to have the Police Chief Committee recommend their two best candidates and the Select Board will make the final decision after interviewing both of the top candidates.