Two former Camden Select Board Chairs — John French and Bob Falciani — do not mince words when they express disappointment with the June 26 signed separation of employment agreement between the Camden Select Board and Town Manager Audra Caler.

And they conclude that both the current and immediate past Select Boards are responsible for a series of missteps that brought Camden to a leadership clash, as well as the recent, and in their minds, procedurally inappropriate use of a consent agenda to move the agreement through a meeting without a Board vote.

Falciani and French sat together Sunday morning, July 12, drinking coffee on a porch overlooking Penobscot Bay. Their meeting had not been long in the planning; in fact, they had just agreed by phone Saturday afternoon that they wanted to talk publicly about what Falciani coined Camden’s, “memorandum of uncertainty agreement.”

Throughout an hourlong conversation, they repeated main points they want the current Camden Select Board to hear:

1) Attempt to come to a new agreement with Caler and sort out the differences — “have the fortitude and courage to sit down with the person who you have a problem with and have a heart to heart discussion,” said Falciani, and

2) Settle into learning more about the rules and responsibilities of serving on the Select Board. They referenced the Maine Municipal Association's 10 Best Practices for Newly Elected Officials, as well as the class that MMA offers on the same topic.

“You need to take the time to understand before you jump into action,” said Falciani, who was elected to the Board in 2017 and served as Chair in 2023 before he stepped down. Read the Select Board meeting packet as soon as it is circulated before each Board meeting, "and understand it,” he said.

There is, he said: "an initial euphoria of being in a new position of relative power. But the smartest thing to do to take a breath."

"It takes six months," said French, to get accustomed to the role.

"The board is fully capable of doing its homework and learning how to execute effectively," said Falciani. "That is not currently happening."

Ask questions, said French. If a board member does not understand process and procedure, or a Camden issue, ask someone, he said.

"There are a lot of wonderful traditions embodied in this town," said Falciani. "I certainly had to work hard in my earlier years on the Board to understand that part. It is not written anywhere, and I had the advice of my counsel here, John French, to remind me of some of those things along the way.”

He and French are advocating for reconciliation between Caler and the Select Board.

“Reconsider a new contract and extend an olive branch to Caler,” said Falciani. “You're not admitting to guilt or innocence. You're just admitting that you need to take Herculean efforts to correct the situation. When you've done that, your decision will be easy, and the public will better understand your decision. Because right now, the public is asking, ‘why are they letting her go?’ More and more of them are coming out.”

French was more succinct.

“They need to pull up the big boy pants, so to speak, and get this taken care of,” he said.

The likelihood of Caler even wanting to continue with the town is understandably low, they both agreed. But they want to see the effort made.

"You've got to actively work with the person and be vocal about it," said Falciani, who once worked in management of more than 10,000 employees. "You'll sense very quickly if it's repairable or not."

With personnel management, "you learn quickly if you have a problem with an employee," he said. "You identify it, lay it on the table, make recommendations for correction. If those corrections don't occur, then you have to take action. But not until that occurs.”

French, who served on the Select Board for 21 years and was Chair more than nine years ago before stepping down in 2018, remains involved in municipal affairs. He is a member of Zoning Board of Appeals and the Cemetery Committee, and he won’t hesitate to attend Select Board meetings to voice his opinion. Most recently, he disagreed with Board members and Caler over ideas suddenly presented over the future of the police department.

That debate, however, did not deter his fundamental support of her as Town Manager. He was the Select Board Chair who signed Caler’s first employment contract with the town in June 2017. He said it will be hard for the town to find a new manager who will match her skills.

“At the end of the day, whether you agreed with the way she did it or what she did, she was trying to save tax money through the parking, with the revenue,” said French. “Through the police officer thing, which I disagreed with but am not holding that against her, I think she tried to present something to the community.”

“I spent lots and lots of hours with her, dealing with issues, disagreeing on many, and agreeing on many more,” said Falciani.

They both agree that Caler is, “by far, the best, most talented, and creative person,” working in municipal government. They respect her ability to envision and innovate."

"And she listened intently," said Falciani. "Because she knew she's a hard charger. She knew she's a fast mover. She has what every Town Manager should have; in fact, the board also — a vision."

And, they agree that Caler has been blamed for decisions made by the Select Board. 

Caler's job, said French, is to: "defend the policies of the board. That is part of being a manager. That's part of the job."

These days, as board alumni, they are increasingly entertaining questions from the community about ‘Camden’s Town Manager situation.’ Citizens waylay Falciani at the post office to chat, or they stop by French’s auto repair garage, where the doors are always open and town affairs often are the topic of conversation. If French stops by Hannaford for groceries, he knows he is in for conversations.

"My wife does not understand why it takes two hours for me to pick up a gallon of milk," he said.

Yet, Falciani and French, too, have been mystified by the series of executive sessions convened by the Select Board since June 9, when two Select Board members were elected, and one sitting member stepped down.

Their concerns are general about Board practices, both now and with the previous Board.

“I have a very strong sense, as do others, that the rules and responsibilities of the Select Board seem to have been being lost,” said Falciani.

They wonder how a Town Manager went from a regular work schedule just prior to June 9 Town Meeting to taking a medical leave just after Town Meeting, a situation only to culminate with a signed agreement stipulating the parties acknowledge for the historical record, "that there are no existing corrections, disciplinary warnings or actions, letters of reprimand, or recordings within Ms. Caler's official Personnel file relating to her employment with the Town of Camden. To date, Ms. Caler has performed her duties and responsibilities in an exemplary manner. The separation of employment as of Dec. 31, 2026 is a mutual decision of the parties signing below.”

The agreement also included a gag order on comments that could be construed as derogatory on various parties for six years after Dec. 31.

It said: "Audra Caler and the Town of Camden, for itself and on behalf of its elected officers, and employees, with regard to Audra Caler and her employment with the Town of Camden and her service to the Town of Camden, expressly acknowledge, agree, and covenant that they will not make any statements, comments, or communications that constitute disparagement of one another or that many be considered to be derogatory or detrimental to the good name or business reputation of one another.”

To further the confusion was the July 7 Select Board meeting at which public comments concerning the separation agreement were made, but the Board endorsement of the agreement was grouped in a consent agenda with other municipal housekeeping business, and a vote on those consent agenda items was never taken. Nor was there any discussion by the Board about the agreement.

“There's been a lack of respect and a lack of, maybe, propriety, in terms of dealing with the situation from the get-go,” said Falciani. "Not the least of which is whatever is coming to bear on this ending of her career with Camden.”

Both he and French concurred that the agreement, a legal document, should not have been grouped under a consent agenda, which is normally a vehicle for tending to non-controversial pieces of business, such as liquor license renewals.

“If I was at the meeting I would have said, ‘point of order, Mr. Chair, you cannot do that,’” said Falciani. “When we had consent agendas — I was probably one of the first to put it on, and people did not like using it — if the Board had any problem with any of those consent agenda items, then I would take it off and make it an agenda item.”

Whatever reasons were involved in setting this particular July 7 consent agenda, Falciani said: “I cannot not follow procedure because of somebody’s personal emotions. The consent agenda is highly debated everywhere and I was very careful what we put on it.”

The memorandum, he emphasized, “is a legal document. It has to be voted on.”

French added: “Somebody could go to a meeting and ask, ‘What was the vote of the Board on this particular item?' And [the Board] would have to produce it.”

Falciani said, “You cannot put on a consent agenda an item under legal contract by state statute.”

“It’s illegal all the way,” said French.

Select Board rules and responsibilities

The former Board Chairs do not get together regularly but they each were growing uneasy as the town manager situation evolved.

“I saw the opinion article by Tom Hedstrom [himself a former Select Board Chair who stepped down in 2024] in the Pilot,” said Falciani. “It was well written. I couldn't express it any better myself, and I'm not going to try to repeat a lot of that. But sitting here are two more former chairs of the board that cover the complete tenure of Audra Caler. Tom hit a lot of nails on the head, not the least of which is, Audra is by far the most talented and creative person I've ever worked with in a municipal environment."

“I agree with Bob, and what Tom said,” said French, who also takes issue with town politics being played out on social media. He has been reading Facebook conversations — Camden Maine Politics, Camden Maine Politics 2.0 — "They're a little bit out there," he said. "The only thing that counts is a vote."

Attend the meetings in person, he advises the public, and talk to the elected officials.

"Tell us what your problems are," he said. "You were always welcome when I was Chair to discuss them."

Both Falciani and French are skeptical that Camden will have an easy search for a new town manager.

"We are losing one of the best town managers I've ever worked with, and I think I've worked more years with her than anybody,” said Falciani. “Replacing her will be an absolute bear.”

Caler’s strengths, they both agreed, are intelligence, vision and drive.

 “She hit the ground running,” said Falciani.

They also include her talent for securing grants — “tens of millions of dollars of grants to the Town of Camden,” which included a $13 million wastewater treatment plant upgrade, he said.

Caler’s ability to innovate was also commended; in particular, her staging of a January town meeting at the Camden Snow Bowl during the Covid epidemic, when citizens gathered in their cars, spaced appropriately, and citizens voted from their respective cars in the winter dark. (Special Town Meeting, Jan. 21, 2021)

“I got so many emails the day after that,” said Falciani. "That's an example of her creativity. She thought outside the box.”

They both cited the recent article in the Maine Sunday Telegram, “Why can’t Maine towns and cities hold onto their town managers” and the June 29 NewsCenterMaine article, “Cities and towns are struggling to keep their managers”, which said the Maine Municipal Association was then listing 300 open town and city positions.

“Not that Camden will not draw talented people, but the learning curve, especially in Camden, is long,” said Falciani. 

He chastised the Camden Select Board in place prior to June 9 for not addressing Caler’s employment contract, “as we always did, prior to the new board coming on, because case in point, most of the new boards may not have individuals,” [members] who worked with the town manager," he said.

That Select Board screwed up, said French and Falciani.

“They literally did,” said Falciani. “And to not do it because of political fallout, that's not why you're there. You are there to do what's right for the community.”

"When you're a select board member, you leave your agenda at the door,” he said. “You leave your opinions at the door. You need to, because the only decision-maker is the legislative body, the voters. That's it.”

French and Falciani reiterated their reason for speaking publicly about Camden's current issue with its town manager.

"Respect the role and responsibilities of the Board," they agreed.

"How to do it," asked Falciani. "I leave it to the Board. They're very smart people. They care a lot about the town of Camden. Otherwise, they wouldn't have run in the first place. But they have to recognize that you don't make decisions on emotion, or the emotions of others."

"The public cares," he said. "Very much so. The whole town is very intelligent, but there is a core of people who do care."

French said he would like Caler to stay on as Camden Town Manager, and advises the Select Board to reconsider and, "to kick back a little bit and get some self education going, as well as seek outside counsel."

"Both sides have to open the kimono," said Falciani. "They have to do that. If they don't, all parties will be injured."

"In the end, no matter what happens between the Town and Audra, I want to personally thank her for her service," said French. "She has done an exemplary job and the town needs to remember that."

"I just want to say thank you, Audra," he said, a statement echoed by Falciani.

Reach Editorial Director Lynda Clancy at lyndaclancy@penbaypilot.com; 207-706-6657