Farmington Board of Selectmen confirms new Chief of Police

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Farmington Board of Selectmen met Tuesday night to confirm the hiring of Ken Charles (left) as the town’s new Chief of Police.

FARMINGTON – Former Detective Kenneth Charles was unanimously confirmed as Farmington’s new Chief of Police during Tuesday’s meeting of the Board of Selectmen. Each member welcomed him personally after approving his new position.

“I’ve grown to love and appreciate what we have to offer in our community. I have a lot of pride in the law enforcement community that we have serving our area. I hope that as we move forward we’re increasingly responsive to the community’s needs. I don’t think there’s ever been a more trying time to be in the law enforcement career,” said Charles upon accepting his confirmation.

Charles, who has a well-established past with Farmington’s police department, also thanked Shane Cote for stepping in as interim chief while the search for a permanent candidate was active.

“These are unprecedented times and I think the department has performed really admirably,” said Charles.

He will officially begin his position on Feb. 15.

The board also revisited the proposition to place the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act on the upcoming ballot for Farmington’s town meeting in April. Fen Fowler had previously requested that the warrant be placed on the ballot for the town’s vote, but the board desired more clarification and did not approve the request. Community member Sherry Jenckes and University of Maine Professor of Geology Doug Reusch presented the warrant for the second time at Tuesday night’s meeting. Jenckes began by addressing the board’s previous question about all businesses receiving dividends if the act were to be voted through by the public.

“The answer to that is no. It’s the consumer that we’re concerned about. Where do you draw the line? Does Amazon need a dividend? We’re just asking that the community has the opportunity to have their voice heard at the federal level,” said Jenckes.

Board members shared concerns about how much the public would be invested in the issue of climate change without the opportunity for a traditional town meeting to educate them on the bill. Similarly, Representative Scott Landry saw further complications with the bill’s stipulations.

“In my experience in the last few years, any time you say ‘tax’, it’s not pretty,” said Landry.

The warrant was approved with a 2:1 vote and will be placed on the ballot for the public’s consideration.

In other news, current University of Maine at Farmington student and volunteer firefighter David Ballard was unanimously approved to join the zoning board as an alternative member for a one-year term.

“It’ll be good to see someone young,” said board member Michael Fogg.

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