PARIS — By the unanimous votes of two Boards of Selectmen, all seven members of the Norway-Paris Solid Waste Board of Directors were removed Thursday.
Norway and Paris selectmen held a joint meeting to discuss a series of resolutions to remove the directors. The first resolution passed by the boards allowed the towns to execute the restated articles of incorporation between the towns and the board. Another resolution removed all of the appointed directors from the board “with immediate effect.”
They are: Al Atkinson, Joe Bracy, Bruce Hanson and Janet Jamison of Paris; and Norway residents Eric Grondahl, Bruce Cook and Dundee Pratte.
The votes on each resolution were unanimous, as was a vote on a third resolution establishing a temporary method of running the NPSW board until replacement appointments are made. Town Managers David Holt of Norway and Philip Tarr of Paris were appointed interim board members to oversee the operations of waste corporation. If there is a tie vote on an issue, either the chairman of the Board of Selectmen from Paris or Norway will act as a director to break the tie.
“The essential complaint that we have and the Norway board also has is one, that the board of Norway-Paris Solid Waste adopted bylaws which are inconsistent with the interlocal agreement previously adopted by both town meetings of Norway and Paris,” Paris Selectman Raymond Glover said.
Glover said the board also acted inconsistently with the agreement when they ignored Tarr’s advice to not remove director Janet Jamison from the board and appointed Bracy to fill the remainder of her term.
Norway-Paris Solid Waste serves as a quasi-municipal organization to dispose of solid waste generated in the two towns. An interlocal agreements passed at the annual town meetings of both communities last year established a number of changes in the operation of the board of directors, such as the creation of a more regular meeting schedule and an increase in the number of directors from five to seven.
In December, the NPSW board voted 5-1, with one member absent, to amend the bylaws. Among the amendments is a section requiring the board to approve appointments made by the two towns and the ability to remove a director by a two-thirds vote of the board. The board may also nominate their own directors if the town fails to appoint a replacement for a vacancy within a certain time frame. NPSW board President Al Atkinson of Paris said the bylaws were consistent with state laws.
However, Jamison, the dissenting director in the December decision, has accused the board of seeking to undermine the interlocal agreement.
Jamison was removed by a 4-1 vote in January, with Atkinson and other directors accusing her of unprofessional behavior. He said she exceeded her authority by discussing changes to the board’s bylaws with Norway selectmen after he had motioned to have a joint meeting between the boards of selectmen and NPSW directors.
The vote followed a move by the NPSW board to not recognize Jamison’s appointment in August and a request by Atkinson that the Paris selectmen rescind Jamison’s appointment. The Paris selectmen upheld the appointment on both occasions.
At a meeting last week, attorney Rob Crawford agreed that the bylaws were inconsistent with the interlocal agreement and said removing the directors and appointing new ones was one option selectmen had. Crawford said Monday that official letters would also be sent to the directors, consisting of four Paris and three Norway appointees, advising them that they would no longer have control over the funds and duties of Norway-Paris Solid Waste.
Atkinson said Thursday that he did not believe the vote was valid, since only two Paris selectmen were present.
“Two selectmen can’t make the decision,” he said.
The Paris selectmen were scheduled to meet Thursday, as opposed to their usual date on Monday, to allow Selectman Glen Young to attend. Glover said Young was unable to go to the meeting because of delays in returning from his vacation. Glover said he was advised that under recent legislative revisions, he and Selectman Lloyd “Skip” Herrick would be able to take action on an issue if they were in agreement.
Holt thanked the departing directors for their service on the board.
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- The Norway Board of Selectmen voted Thursday night to remove its members from the Norway-Paris Solid Waste Board of Directors. From left are Paris interim Town Clerk Elizabeth Knox, Paris Town Manager Philip Tarr, and Paris Selectmen Lloyd “Skip” Herrick and Raymond Glover, Norway Town Manager David Holt and Norway Selectmen Bill Damon, Bruce Cook, Warren Sessions Jr., Irene Millett and Russell Newcomb.
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