PARIS — The chairman of the Oxford County Democratic Committee said Friday that it will be “difficult” to schedule a caucus to select candidates to replace Sheriff Wayne Gallant before the end of the year.

Gallant resigned from his position Wednesday amid accusations of sexual misconduct involving subordinate employees.

Chief Deputy Hart Daley has been named acting sheriff and will remain in that post until LePage appoints an interim sheriff, Oxford County Commissioner David Duguay said.

The term expires in 2018.

According to Duguay, the process to appoint an interim sheriff to fulfill the term is a complex one, and begins with the Oxford County Democrats scheduling a caucus to select at least one nominee, “but I believe the governor insists on two or three names to be submitted.”

All nominees must come from the Democratic Party because Gallant won the sheriff’s seat as a Democrat and there is a mandate to maintain the consistency of that party in office, matching voters’ will.

Don Berry, chairman of the Oxford County Democrats, said he is trying to find out from voters within the Oxford County Democrats “when the best time for us to meet is going to be,” but believed it would be “difficult to do before the end of the year” because of the holidays.

“Trying to get people together by a certain time when Christmas is around the corner is tough,” Berry said. “I need to make some calls to the county and see what their timeline is, and I need to call voters to give people time to attend it.”

He added, “The process is that we’d post the meeting in the newspaper and figure out a location where we’re going to hold it. Once we’re there, we would suggest names that we want to put forward.”

Berry said that while he and other voters have not officially discussed the names of candidates to replace Gallant, Daley “could be a possible candidate.”

mdaigle@sunmediagroup.net

Wayne Gallant (Sun Journal File Photo)

Copy the Story Link