Mechanic Falls town clerk quits in wake of manager’s firing

MECHANIC FALLS — Town Clerk Miranda Hinkley submitted her letter of resignation Thursday, three days after Town Manager Zakk Maher was fired by the Town Council.

“It is my personal opinion that actions taken by the council prove the town to be heading down a dark path that I do not wish to be a part of,” Hinkley said after emailing her letter to interim Town Manager Fred Collins.

“It seems as though there are some people who make decisions for the town that are not a good fit for where I want to be in life and with whom I would not want my name associated,” she wrote

The council voted 4-1 on Monday to dismiss Maher after 10 months on the job. Council Chairperson Cathy and Councilor Wayne Hackett said Maher was “not a good fit.”

Hinkley, who has been clerk since July 2016, said she will continue to work for two weeks to wrap up loose ends and provide information to employees so they can pick up pending items on her desk.

“This was not an easy decision for me,” she wrote, “as I feel that our full- and part-time employees are a little family, and I will miss them terribly.

“I am thankful for the opportunity to have served this town to the best of my abilities and for the people I’ve met along the way.”

Prior to her career in the municipal government, Hinkley served 16 years in the Maine Army National Guard and the Army Reserves.

In a related development, the Town Council rescheduled an executive session that was set for Monday and, instead, will hold a special council meeting with no executive session at 9 a.m. Tuesday at the Municipal Building. No agenda was provided for the meeting.