PARIS — Selectmen are set to vote Friday on whether to appoint Lt. Michael Dailey as acting police chief, Selectman Ryan Lorrain said Thursday night.

"That's the person that is of interest," he said.

Dailey said he's aware of the vote.

“I've expressed interest to them. I think it'll be decided tomorrow,” he said Thursday.

The Board of Selectmen is scheduled to meet at 6:30 p.m. Friday.

On Monday, board Chairman Sam Elliot announced Dailey's intention to rescind his Nov. 13 resignation, and the board voted unanimously complied.

Afterward, the board held an executive session for about 90 minutes on appointing an interim police chief but came out without an official decision.

If Dailey is named, he would succeed David Verrier, who submitted his resignation Nov. 16 to take an investigator's position at the Maine Correctional Center in Windham. It was accepted Monday night and his last day is Thursday.

Dailey submitted his resignation three days before Verrier. When he learned the chief was also leaving, he said he thought about staying on as chief, because having both leave at the same time could have been difficult for the department.

“I think from the town's, and even Chief Verrier's standpoint, it's less to worry about,” Dailey said. He has been with the department for 14 years.

Dailey said the decision to turn down a job he'd already accepted with the Oxford County Sheriff's Office was one he approached carefully.

“I didn't want to burn any bridges with them,” he said. But the Sheriff's Office was “very supportive,” understanding the chance to serve as a police chief was a rare opportunity.

“It was one of the toughest decisions I'd ever had to make to leave to begin with, so going back into something I was comfortable with makes it a little bit easier,” Dailey said.

He said he plans to continue doing crash reconstruction work. In his resignation letter, he said the opportunity to get more crash reconstruction training was his main reason for moving to the Sheriff's Office.

“Being nationally accredited is something I've worked hard to do. I'm going to keep that certification,” he said.

The lieutenant said he didn't know whether his post as chief would be a long-term position or if the town would advertise for candidates.

“Whatever they decide in the future is the decision that we'll go with,” he said.

Replacing Dailey as lieutenant will be Alan Carr. Carr said Thursday night that interim Town Manager Elizabeth Knox informed him of his pending appointment.

Carr served 25 years with Maine State Police, five years as chief of Bethel Police Department and served with Mechanic Falls Police Department before coming to Paris this year.

Other full-time officers with the department are Sgt. Hartley "Skip" Mowatt, Harry Sims, Ray Parr, Nick Gilbert and Tim Libby.

treaves@sunjournal.com