THORNDIKE, Maine (AP) - Voters in a Maine town approved an ordinance replacing an independent fire company with a town fire department following mass resignations of firefighters.
Thorndike residents voted 73-11, with one invalid ballot, during a Saturday meeting to create a municipal fire department. The Morning Sentinel reports select board members will now oversee the regulation of the department and its funding.
The board will also appoint a fire chief, rather than approve or reject the leader nominated by the firefighters.
Twenty-seven members of the town’s fire company resigned late last month after officials refused to reinstate former deputy chief George Russell and allocate $85,000 for equipment.
Russell stepped down as chief after acknowledging he stole more than $5,000 from the department in 2014.
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Information from: Morning Sentinel, http://www.onlinesentinel.com/
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