AUBURN – Wanted: a police officer to patrol parts of Androscoggin County and to provide backup to other deputies on the road. The qualified applicant will be recognized by the sheriff and residents of the county, but might not get a paycheck.

Sheriff Guy Desjardins has officially listed a job posting for a new patrol deputy after county commissioners last week killed off a measure to do so, saying they feared the county might not get $180,000 in state money they were expecting.

Desjardins said Monday he had no choice because the lives of his officers are endangered every time they hit the streets with backup miles away, and the commission will not budge.

“We’re posting that position,” he said. “I’ve done everything politically I can do. I’m doing what I need to do as sheriff.”

“Good for him,” said Charlie Mock, a Turner selectman, when he heard about the sheriff’s decision. “It’s obvious to me that these folks didn’t want him elected and they have no intention of cooperating. I don’t know why that is.” Turner has no town police force.

Last week, the three-member commission refused to vote on the proposal to hire a new night-patrol officer. That inaction came during a feisty meeting during which Desjardins accused the commissioners of ignoring the safety of his officers.

“If anything at all happens to one of my people,” Desjardins said at the meeting, “you’re going to see your sheriff standing on the street screaming to high heaven.”

Instead of screaming, Desjardins consulted an attorney and then began a search for a new patrol officer. The problem is that a new hire may not get paid because the commission could refuse to recognize that officer as an employee.

“The treasurer’s office has to process all those items for approval through the commission,” County Treasurer Robert Poulin said Monday. “Everything that goes through to payroll must be approved by commissioners. They have the final say.”

The commissioners – made up of Elmer Berry, Connie Cote and Helen Poulin – have already demonstrated that they can hold up Desjardins’ plans.

Last week, while the sheriff was away, Robert Poulin, Helen Poulin’s husband, voided several purchase orders initialed by Eric Samson, whom Desjardins named as chief deputy at the start of the year. The commission has refused to recognize Samson’s position during a dispute over his salary.

“You don’t have a chief deputy,” Helen Poulin said at the meeting last week.

After that meeting, Desjardins met with a lawyer to see if he is entitled to seek a new patrol officer, in spite of the commission’s indifference. He said he was told he had the right to hire a new patrol officer if he feels one is needed. And the search began immediately.

“We’re moving forward and hopefully we’ll get some good applicants,” Desjardins said, adding that a choice would be made before the start of summer. “We’re probably looking at three or four weeks.”

Whether the commissioners will approve pay for a new hire remains to be seen. Commission Chairman Elmer Barry did not return a telephone message Monday, nor did Cote.

Helen Poulin could not be reached for comment. At last week’s meeting, she and Desjardins exchanged words for several minutes and Poulin accused the sheriff of not accepting the commission’s decisions since he took over at the start of the year.

“You’re saying we should change the whole process to accommodate your needs,” she said.

Desjardins has complained that the commissioners will no longer even discuss the need for a new hire and that the need for one is greater than ever.

On April 6, Sgt. James Jacques was attacked by a man with a claw hammer while responding to a burglary report. A trainee was with him, but the closest trained deputy was 30 minutes away. Desjardins called it “the luck of God” that Jacques wasn’t hurt. He thought the incident highlighted the need for a new deputy, but commissioners have not changed their stance.

“We can’t even have a workshop on it,” Desjardins said. “The commissioners don’t want to discuss it.”

After the heated exchanges last week, members of the community, town leaders and even other county employees condemned the commission for being stubborn following a Sun Journal story about the meeting.

“I think the commissioners are not thinking of the communities of Androscoggin County,” said Michael Bowie, chairman of the County Budget Committee and a Lisbon selectman.

Mock, the Turner selectman, said that town leaders from at least three area towns had written to the commission in support of Desjardins’ proposal to put another officer on the road.

“They’ve decided to totally ignore that,” Mock said.

In Sun Journal Web forums last week, nearly all of more than five dozen people who posted comments derided the commission and expressed support for Desjardins.

“I’d rather have a sheriff looking out for us than kissing the backsides of the commission,” wrote one person who listed the name TSS at the top of his post. “The Commission at this point just seems to be downing every decision he makes or appointee he makes out of spite.”

According to the new job posting, Desjardins is accepting applicants until the end of the day Tuesday.