Chebeague Island appoints temporary administrator, mulls changes to post

After the Town of Chebeague replaced its first town administrator in March, the Board of Selectmen may think again about how the position is structured, according to a selectmen.

Scott Seaver began the job as Chebeague Island’s interim town administrator April 1. Seaver took over for Ron Grenier, who resigned March 15. Seaver’s contract is good through June 30.

Chebeague Island seceded from the Town of Cumberland and became its own town on July 1, 2007. Grenier was Chebeague’s first town administrator, approved at the first Town Meeting, held July 1.

Herb Maine, vice-chair of the Board of Selectmen, said the board is thinking about how the position will be handled in the future. Grenier worked five days a week and Seaver is working three days. “We’re going to see how it works — we might cut the position down,” Maine said.
The board was able to get an interim administrator in place within two weeks after Grenier resigned. “We had plenty of notice,” Maine said, of Grenier’s departure. “It was a pretty smooth transition.”

Selectmen looked at candidates from the first job search, but Seaver stood out because of his tenure at North Yarmouth. “He brings a lot of experience and real knowledge of Maine’s municipal statutes,” said Maine.

When asked about the process of replacing Grenier, Maine said, “Every move we’ve made since July 1, 2007, has been a learning experience. Every move we make is a learning experience. I don’t know when that really changes. Whoever stops learning in their life stops living, in one sense — and the experience of having to replace a town administrator I am sure will affect our decision about what to do with the position.”
Seaver served as town administrator of North Yarmouth from 1981 until his retirement in June 2007. When he heard that the Town of Chebeague had the position open, he let them know that “if they needed some help for a while, I would be glad to help out,” Seaver said.

He said he’s enjoying working for Chebeague. “It’s brand-new and everything is being done for the first time,” Seaver said. “It’s just interesting and fun.” When asked if it was different working on an island, Seaver said, “not really. [Chebeague] is more like a close-knit family, but the work is still the same.” Asked if he would consider working longer than his interim appointment, Seaver said he could not comment.

Maine also did not comment on keeping Seaver on past June 30. “I think the board is interested in all possibilities.”  

Grenier had served as chief auditor of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, before moving back to Maine. He was born and raised in Biddeford.
When he sought the job, Grenier, who lives in Damariscotta, said he did not think about the commute to Chebeague. “I really did underestimate what it would take out of me,” he said. “It’s easy to dismiss when you are in a job interview.”

He found Route 1 traffic particularly grueling. “Added to that was also living and dying by the boat,” Grenier said. “I’m not sure if I ever really adjusted to that. You have a long commute, but that at the end of the commute you have to make sure you’re there on a time for the boat — and you don’t go to work if you’ve missed it.”

With the numerous storms this winter, Grenier said that the driving was so bad that he had missed the 8:30 a.m. boat a couple of times.
Maine agreed that Grenier’s commute was stressful. “I think he was obviously finding it tiring, and it was wearing him down,” Maine said. He has done that kind of commute, and “I can understand where he is coming from,” Maine said.

After Grenier gave notice to Chebeague, an opening came up in Newcastle. Grenier started work as the Newcastle Town Administrator on March 31, for the annual Town Meeting. He found it an interesting parallel with Chebeague, where he also began work the day of Town Meeting. His new commute is just five minutes, Grenier said.