LIVERMORE FALLS – James Butler Jr. of Jay was hired last week as the new code enforcement officer, Town Manager Jim Chaousis said Monday.

Butler, 24, is a 2004 graduate of Jay High School and is a Livermore Falls firefighter. He will replace Rob Overton whose resignation is effective Friday.

Butler attended Southern Maine Community College and was a live-in student at the Gorham Fire Department. He majored in fire science technology and took courses in fire service, building construction, fire protection systems, and fire inspection, among others.

Butler also works for Crown Chemicals, a Georgia-based company, and does work for the business at paper mills in Jay and Rumford.

He is certified as a code enforcement officer in building standards and legal issues, Butler said Monday.

Butler will be paid $16 an hour until he completes the rest of the required certifications for a code officer. Once those are complete his pay would be increased by $1 an hour.

Chaousis said the agreement with Butler has a six-month probationary period that gives selectmen the right to terminate him without cause during that time.

“We’re familiar with Mr. Butler because he was the building inspector in Jay last year,” Chaousis said.  “He was terminated for cause in a development that became very public. Mr. Butler and I have talked about this second opportunity and we believe that he will respond positively to another chance.”

“He has the tools to be a very good code enforcement but this didn’t work out in Jay,” Chaousis said. “Hopefully this second opportunity is exactly what he needs to put things in focus for him to be successful. We, as a town, have had no issues with him.”

Chaousis said that he talked with Livermore Falls fire Chief Gerry Pineau prior to hiring Butler as a code enforcement officer.

“I am excited and humbled to be given the chance to work in Livermore Falls and I hopefully can do some good things for the town,” Butler said.

He will work with town officials to determine the day and time he will be available at the Livermore Falls Town Office. He will work 10 hours a week.

Butler was terminated in Jay as a part-time building inspector and assistant code enforcement officer by Jay Town Manager Ruth Cushman in August 2009 after nearly a year on the job but still during a probationary period. At the time, Butler requested that his appeal hearing be held in public with his attorney, David Sanders, at his side.

Cushman said during the hearing that she terminated Butler due to an accumulation of actions by him that displayed “poor judgment” and resulted in a lack of trust and confidence. All of them were related to his actions as a Jay firefighter. Those included insubordination and using the Jay Fire Rescue Department’s credit card without the appropriate permission.

Butler denied any wrongdoing during the hearing and brought witnesses in to testify on his behalf.

Jay selectmen found that there was “clear and convincing evidence that the employer met its burden that cause existed for termination of Butler from this position,” according the board’s report.

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New Livermore Falls code enforcement officer