RUMFORD – With a turnout of almost 1,000 people at Tuesday’s special election, residents voted nearly 2-1 to keep the town charter as it is.

That means town officials must begin looking for a new auditor, sealer of weights and measures and plumbing inspector. And the question remains whether Town Manager Stephen Eldridge’s contract is valid.

People voted 622-344 not to change the town charter, which would have allowed selectmen to decide whether the people who hold those four positions must reside in Rumford.

Right now, Eldridge lives in Monmouth, plumbing inspector Virgil Cronkite lives in Bethel, auditor Harold Blake lives in Hallowell, and sealer of weights and measures Jim McDonald, lives in Mexico.

“I am disappointed in the results,” said selectmen’s Chairman Jim Rinaldo Tuesday night. “I think the town of Rumford looks even more stupid. This could have been resolved with everyone looking good. We’re trying to do the best we can. We’ve got to talk with the town lawyer so we don’t get in any more hot water.”

He said the board will likely touch on the topic during Thursday’s regular board meeting, but not make any decisions until a later date.

Eldridge said earlier in the day that he has a valid contract until June 2008, signed by selectmen.

“I’m not planning on going anywhere. I will fulfill my end of the contract. There’s a lot of unfinished projects and a lot of people involved in these projects who want to see them completed,” he said.

When contacted Tuesday night, Eldridge said he will contact the people who hold the other three positions by the end of the week, notifying them that their services will be terminated in 30 days.

“We’ll then try to find people in town,” he said, adding that he wasn’t surprised at the election’s results.

“It clearly sends a message, at least from about 1,000 people, and the selectmen should listen,” he said.

The auditor is nearing the end of the annual municipal audit, he said, and will fulfill his obligations. He said the town’s Finance Committee is charged with finding a replacement of a certified public accountant, preferably with municipal experience.

He said the ramifications of Tuesday’s vote probably won’t be discussed at Thursday’s selectmen’s meeting, although a closed session to discuss his contract is scheduled. It had been scheduled before the vote.

Frank and Cheryl Anastasio were two residents who voted not to change the charter.

Frank, a former selectman, said he believes it’s important for a town manager to live in town 24/7.

“To see the community and to get to know the town. Selectmen should hire the best qualified person, but he or she must move to Rumford,” he said, adding that when he was a selectman, the board always checked with the town lawyer to make sure the charter was being followed.

Cheryl said a “yes” vote would have set a precedent that selectmen could call a special election for any issue.

Anne Morin, a recent resident of Rumford who moved to the town with her husband, Barry Allen, who is from Rumford, had a different view.

“I think the town needs a broader outlook. We have a wonderful town manager who is able to avoid a lot of political issues from the past. He’s a new voice. We are in transition. So many new people bring a different view about how things could be,” she said.

Resident Sue Fitzpatrick believes requiring residency is an obsolete rule, and Marilyn Gardner said she voted “yes” because the town manager has many good ideas for the town, while Jefferson Van Allen voted “yes” because he believes not making changes to a 55-year-old document could lead to a down turn in the town’s success.

Len Greaney, however, voted “no” because he likes the idea of a town manager living in the town he leads.

“I like the idea of a town manager paying taxes here,” he said.

Chairman of the Charter Commission Walter Buotte said most towns he has researched with the Maine Municipal Association allow selectmen or council members to have the flexibility to hire a town manager who prefers not to live in the town he leads.

But with Tuesday’s nearly 2-1 vote against the change, he said he was not inclined to revise the charter regarding residency.

Meanwhile, a lawsuit filed by Tom Carey and 19 other residents challenging the residency and the contract of the town manager, will continue to go forward.