Turnover continues among those working at the new Belgrade Town Office, and now Cheryl Cook, who was a member of the Board of Selectpersons until Dec. 20, will return as town clerk on a part-time basis.
Cook was Belgrade’s town clerk and tax collector until retiring in May 2014. She was elected to the Selectboard last March to complete the last two years of Bruce Plourd’s term.
Michael Barrett, the board’s chairman, said Friday that there was an executive session to discuss personnel matters Dec. 20, after which the board accepted Cook’s resignation.
Cook declined to discuss anything Friday, saying only that she had resigned her elected post for personal reasons.
In the meantime, Joyce Tillson, of Anson, who had been appointed as Belgrade town clerk on Dec. 8, is now gone. Barrett said he thinks she resigned.
Barrett also said that hiring for Town Office posts is the purview of the town manager. Town Manager Carrie Castonguay did not return phone calls on Friday.
“I think the dust is finally settling now,” Barrett said. “The people we have now are good, and they all seem to be happy. Hopefully, that will be the end of it for a while.”
Barrett said he is hoping that Cook — who was hired for 20 hours a week — will remain town clerk long enough so that someone already working at the Town Office then can take over.
Anthony Maffei and Nicholas Poole are listed as deputy town clerks on Belgrade’s website, www.townofbelgrade.com. Tillson’s name remained there as of Friday. Maffei also is assistant to the Selectboard.
Barrett himself is running for re-election to a second three-year term on the board. He already has turned in his nomination papers to be on the ballot.
There also will be a one-year slot available on the board to complete Cook’s term. Barrett said Ernst Merckens, a member of the Budget Committee and the Appeals Board, has taken out papers for that post.
Nominating petitions also are available for a three-year post representing Belgrade on the school board of Regional School Unit 18, which includes the towns of China, Oakland, Rome and Sidney as well. That seat is held by Debra McSweeney.
Petitions for the one-year post of road commissioner are also available. That job is held by Maurice Childs.
Betty Adams — 621-5631
Twitter: @betadams
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