RUMFORD – The Charter Commission on Thursday unanimously elected a retired high school principal and a former state legislator to take the place of two members who resigned earlier this month.

Rob Cameron, an eight-year state representative from the Rumford area and NewPage Corp. employee, along with Tom Rowe, a retired Mountain Valley High School principal, will replace tax collector Carlo Puiia and former Selectman Eugene Boivin.

In making her nomination, member Linda French said Cameron has the experience to serve on the commission. Chairman Walter Buotte nominated Rowe, a person he said he had worked with when they both were administrators in the education field.

“I’ve served on committees with Tom and we’ve agreed and disagreed. He has the courage to think about things,” Buotte said.

With the resignations of Puiia and Boivin, three original members of the nine-member commission have resigned, something that disappointed many of the remaining members. Former member Ron Theriault resigned in October, saying that he was insulted that selectmen introduced a charter amendment while the commission was in session. That amendment, defeated at a special election on Dec. 5, would have allowed selectmen to decide whether the town manager, sealer of weights and measures, plumbing inspector and auditor must reside in Rumford.

All remaining commission members said they were disturbed that those who resigned accused the commission of having a preset agenda.

“I feel that the commission has been hurt by this. They will do whatever they can to defeat everything we do. I wonder if they didn’t plan to resign right from the start,” French said.

Boivin and Puiia stated in their letters that they were resigning largely because the commission took a stand on the special charter amendment proposal. The commission had narrowly recommended that the amendment pass.

Member Jim Thibodeau, a former selectman, said he believed the resignations were appalling.

“It makes the commission look bad, to say we had preset ideas. That’s not fair to the citizens of Rumford,” he said.

Member Joseph Roberts said the commission began with a diverse mix of people that may have increased the chance that the entire charter revision proposal pass. He strongly advocated that the commission go forward.

All remaining members said they hoped the new members, along with Harry Burns who was chosen to replace Theriault last month, would add to the diversity of the panel.

French added that one of the reasons she wanted to be on the commission was to update sometimes antiquated language and ideas.

“The key is, as with any older document, the world is changing so fast, it would require changes to bring it into this century,” she said.

The current charter is 55 years old.