DIXFIELD — The Board of Selectmen unanimously voted Monday evening to appoint two residents, including the chief of police, to the Appeals Board.

Town Manager Carlo Puiia presented applications from Dixfield Police Chief Jeffrey Howe and Donald Litwin to Board of Selectmen Chairman Hart Daley and Selectmen Eugene Skibitsky and Mac Gill. Selectmen Dana Whittemore and Norman Mitchell were not at the meeting.

Daley said he didn’t have a problem with either applicant, but he wanted Puiia to check with the Maine Municipal Association to make sure there was nothing wrong with Howe simultaneously serving as chief of police and an Appeals Board member.

Puiia said he had already sent an email to MMA.

Gill pointed out that former Police Chief Richard Pickett served on the Planning Board while he was chief and that he would “recuse himself if anything came up that would’ve been a conflict.”

Daley said he would be OK with appointing Howe and Litwin to the Appeals Board, and that if there was, “for whatever reason,” an issue, they could revisit it at a later meeting.

Litwin’s term would be for two years, while Howe’s would be one.

In other business, Puiia said the Town Office would be undergoing improvements in the coming weeks.

“We were able to buy a used computer and set it up,” he said. “This way, we’ll be able to have two employees waiting on people at the same time.”

A new counter would be built for the computers.

“I think it’s a good and important change for the staff,” Puiia said.

mdaigle@sunmediagroup.net

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