PARIS — Selectmen voted 3-2 Thursday night to remove Janet Jamison from the Norway-Paris Solid Waste Board and the Norway-Paris Community Television Committee because of two complaints filed against her.
Chairman Scott Buffington, Gary Vaughn and John Andrews voted to remove Jamison, while Vice Chairman Chris Summers and Rusty Brackett voted against.
About 30 people attended the nearly two-hour special board meeting where Buffington read aloud the two complaints.
Norway-Paris Community Television Committee member Rick Little and Norway-Paris Solid Waste Board member Corey Roberge filed formal complaints against Jamison. Both of them and Jamison attended.
Little wrote that Jamison harassed him at a spring meeting. In a July 11 letter, he wrote that Jamison became upset over a $1.86 receipt from Aubuchon Hardware and banged her fist on the table, which she denied.
In an Aug. 15 letter, Roberge wrote that Jamison put her hands near his face during an argument about a safety program at the Transfer Station. Jamison, chairwoman of the NPSW board, said she was shielding herself from his negative words.
Roberge also accused her of circumventing the board and NPSW Manager Warren Sessions when making decisions.
“I am being set up,” Jamison said. “What I am telling you is these allegations made by these two individuals (are) absolutely not true. This is not the first time I have been called out on less-than-honest allegations.”
One audience member said, “Are you kidding? How does that happen?”
“Because it’s rigged,” another answered.
Former Selectman Kathy Richardson questioned the timing of the complaints, noting they came in after “some heated and uncomfortable exchanges” between Jamison and selectmen since the town elections in June.
Josh Tice, owner of Tice Waste Management, who has worked with Jamison as chairman of Norway-Paris Solid Waste board, told selectmen it would be a mistake to remove her from the board because she is able to get things done.
The majority of selectmen did not agree.
“Your insults and rude comments that are made in this very room prove this is a trait you cannot control or should be tolerated by anybody else,” Vaughn told Jamison before he made his motion to remove her from the two panels.
Before the vote, Jamison promised she would not remain quiet regarding town matters.
“Yes, you can take me off these boards but do you think I am going to go away? I have lived here for 30 years and that has to count for something,” she said.
Jamison is a former chairwoman of the Board of Selectmen.
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