WINSLOW — The longest tenured sitting town councilor abruptly tendered his resignation and canceled his reelection bid Tuesday morning, town officials confirmed.

Longtime councilor Ray Caron resigned his Winslow Town Council seat Tuesday and withdrew from the upcoming election, citing personal reasons. Contributed photo

In an email to Winslow’s Town Council, Ray Caron gave notice of his resignation effective immediately, citing “personal reasons.”

“I can no longer continue to be representing District 4 as a member of the Winslow Town Council,” Caron’s email stated. “Effective immediately I am resigning my position and will not seek reelection this November.”

Though Caron’s email said he was leaving due to “personnel reasons,” he later clarified that was a typo and he intended to write “personal reasons.”

The move comes amid a contentious year in Winslow politics. In recent months, a councilor requested a protection order against the town manager, two others sought medical information about a fellow councilor recovering from a coma, and the board voted down the school budget for the first time ever. Councilors have convened five closed-door executive session meetings since August to discuss personnel matters and consult with legal counsel.

Caron declined to provide further reasoning for his resignation Tuesday, saying “I just need some privacy for a couple of days.”

Aside from Caron, the seven-member Town Council includes at-large councilors Lee Trahan and Jeffrey West, District 1 councilor Michael Joseph, District 2 councilor Dale Macklin, District 3 councilor Fran Hudson, and District 5 councilor Adam Lint. West is currently the council chairman.

Town Manager Ella Bowman described Caron as “the definition of a loyal and committed public servant” Tuesday and stated she will miss working with him in the town office.

“Ray’s knowledge and leadership will be deeply missed, not only by me and my staff, but his colleagues and constituents,” Bowman wrote in a text. “His historical knowledge of the Winslow region brings value to those he served.”

Caron was first elected to the council in 2010 and was slated to run against resident Doris Labranche in the November election. He was formerly the council chairman in 2020 and is a longtime member of the Fort Halifax Park Committee.

It is unclear if there is time for Caron’s name to be removed from Winslow’s ballots before they are mailed to voters next month, Town Clerk Audra Fleury said Tuesday.

The window for residents to submit their candidacy for Winslow’s council closed last Thursday. While ballots have not yet been printed or mailed, Caron’s announcement coming after the deadline may make it too late for the town to accommodate his request, Fleury said.

“I’ve never had anyone ask to not be on the ballot, so I just want to make sure that I am correct in what we’re doing,” she said. “I do have a call in to legal counsel, and I’m hopeful that we can not put his name on the ballot, but I can’t say definitively yet.”

Caron said in his statement that he is grateful for his time in Winslow’s municipal government.

“I thank everyone that I have work(ed) with over the years,” Caron wrote. “Winslow is a great place to live and raise a family and hopefully I have contributed to making this a great place to live.”