LIVERMORE FALLS – After a summer plagued with difficulties, town officials here were faced with yet another hurdle when Code Enforcement Officer Paula Coombs resigned.
In a letter to Town Manager Martin Puckett dated June 29, Coombs said she was optimistic about working for the town until the June 14 town meeting, when voters denied funding to several budget articles and effectively shut the town down.
“The unfortunate events that took place at the town meeting, and the ensuing challenges that these events are creating, have forced me to rethink my position as code enforcement officer of Livermore Falls,” Coombs stated in the letter.
Before the town meeting, Coombs said, she spent her time helping encourage growth in the town. “But now, I have people coming into my office asking me to advise them of how to legally oust the entire select board, and asking that I find the ordinances to give them the power to advance their assorted agendas.”
She said she would work two more weeks before leaving the post.
Puckett said that now, more than 20 days later, Coombs still comes to work on an as-needed basis, and is expected to continue doing so until a replacement is found.
Puckett hopes to find a part-time code enforcement officer in a nearby town that would be willing to work part time in Livermore Falls, too. “Right now I’m in the process of calling other towns,” he said.
“It’s disappointing to see her go – she was an asset to the community,” Puckett said. “It’s sad to see these municipal employees who take the extra time and donate and volunteer their time – it’s sad to see them move on.”
Paula Coombs did not return calls made to her residence Friday.
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