MEXICO – Selectmen granted a leave of absence to police officer Robert Gallant through June 30, and accepted the resignation of officer Mike Buotte Wednesday.
By granting Gallant a leave of absence until June, he will continue to be covered under the town’s medical insurance carrier, Town Manager John Madigan said. Gallant has been on medical leave for the past eight months. His 25 years as a Mexico police officer will likely end with his leave of absence.
Buotte is retiring and his resignation becomes effective March 1. He has served in the Mexico Police Department for nearly five years, including the past several months on medical leave. Before joining the department, he was a longtime police officer with the Rumford Police Department.
Police Chief Jim Theriault told selectmen that Buotte has asked to be added to the reserve officer list. The request was referred to Madigan.
Roy Hodgdon and Dean Benson have already been hired to replace Gallant and Buotte. With their hiring, the Police Department is now fully staffed. Besides Theriault, Hodgdon and Benson, Mike Richard also serves in the department.
In other department matters, selectmen tabled a request by Theriault to have routine maintenance of the department’s cruisers conducted by a private auto repair business.
Currently, the town’s Highway Department maintains the cruisers.
“Using the town garage is not saving us money,” said Theriault, who added that some services, such as balancing tires, must be sent out to be done.
The town switched cruiser maintenance to the Highway Department in an effort to save money more than a year ago.
Action was tabled on Theriault’s request until the Feb. 23 selectmen’s meeting to give Madigan and Theriault a chance to study the matter.
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