FAIRFIELD — The Town Council will appoint a new councilor to fill a vacant seat during its organizational meeting on Tuesday.
Town Manager Michelle Flewelling said the town has received one application for the one-year term, from Jeffrey Neubauer, who currently sits on the town’s Economic and Community Development Advisory Committee and was previously a member of the School Administrative District 49 board of directors. He also ran unsuccessfully for Town Council in November.
Neubauer, a site manager at Matheson Gas, an industrial gases and welding supplier, in Bangor, said he put in an application for the same reason he ran in November, that he was “interested in serving the community, if need be.”
“I spoke to the councilors last night and said I’d be willing to serve at their will,” Neubauer said Thursday.
The seat became available after current Chairman Robert Sezak announced his resignation from the council. Sezak was elected to become a Somerset County commissioner and cannot hold both seats at once. His resignation is effective Dec. 31.
Sezak also had to resign his position as chairman of the Somerset County Budget Committee. Sezak was elected to the District 1 commissioner’s post in the Nov. 8 election, and his council term was scheduled to expire in 2017. The council also will vote to elect a new chairman, vice chairman and secretary at the organizational meeting, which starts at 6:30 p.m. in the council chambers at the Fairfield Community Center.
Flewelling said it was not surprising to receive just one application for the council seat, based on the fact that not many people took out nomination papers before the election. Only three people took out papers for two seats during the Nov. 8 election: incumbent Aaron Rowden, who won re-election; Beverly Busque, who won the remaining seat; and Neubauer.
Flewelling said anyone interested in applying has until Jan. 3 to get their applications and resumes to the town.
In addition to the council seat, the town will be filling a number of other vacant committee and board seats. The town will fill three vacancies on the Budget Committee, one vacancy on the Planning Board, one on the Land Use Board of Appeals, two on the Board of Assessment Review, two on the Economic Development Committee, one on the CATV board of directors and two seats on the Voter Registration Board of Appeals.
Flewelling said most of the open seats are available because of terms that are expiring, and many of the members are willing to be reappointed.
Colin Ellis — 861-9253
cellis@centralmaine.com
Twitter: @colinoellis
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