MADAWASKA, Maine – Madawaska Town Manager Gary Picard submitted a letter of resignation to the town select board earlier this week, according to multiple town officials.
Upon receiving the letter, the select board scheduled an emergency meeting at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 9. Items on the agenda include accepting Picard’s resignation letter, considering an executive search, and a discussion about a hiring committee. The meeting will take place at the town office at 328 St. Thomas Street.
Jason Boucher, Vice Chairman of the Madawaska Select Board, did not state the reason for Picard’s resignation on Tuesday afternoon, however he said the board will be able to share more details after the Feb. 9 meeting.
Picard began serving as Madawaska Town Manager in 2017, and before that he served as town manager in St. Agatha.
Picard did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Picard had recently been in the middle of a controversy involving the town’s Public Works Department. Three public works employees, including the department’s director, resigned in November. Two other employees had left the department prior to the resignations.
The shortage of public works employees affected snow removal in the town, leading some residents to complain at a select board meeting last month. Some of the department’s job vacancies have since been filled, but the director’s job remains open.
