RANGELEY — A Winslow woman has been hired as the new code enforcement officer/town planner, Town Manager Tim Kane said Wednesday.

Amanda Lessard plans to move to the area, he said. Her family has property in the Rangeley area and she has been coming to Rangeley for many years.

There were at least 15 candidates who applied for the job, he said. Six were interviewed and the Hiring Committee unanimously recommended Lessard. Selectmen affirmed Kane’s decision to hire her.

Lessard will begin working with interim Code Enforcement Officer Dave Errington on Wednesday, June 22, for five days. She is scheduled to start full time Friday, July 1, Kane said.

Rangeley has been sharing Errington, Mexico’s code officer, since after the death of Rangeley’s longtime Code Enforcement Officer Bob Griscom on Aug. 23, 2010.

Currently Lessard works for the Maine State Planning Office. She also has municipal experience as a town planner in New Gloucester, Kane said.

Her duties in Rangeley will include plumbing inspections, construction and maintenance building permits, monitoring all codes and zoning violations. She will also be the liaison to the Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals, he said. She will also be working on municipal planning and development and implementation of the town’s Comprehensive Plan, among other duties.

Lessard is a graduate of McGill University in Canada and has also taken graduate courses in community planning and development at the Muskie School at the University of Southern Maine.

“She was chosen based on her background experience and certifications and familiarity of the area,” Kane said.

A contract and salary are still being negotiated, he said.

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