
Harrison selectmen meet Jan. 9 at the Town Office where they held an executive session and afterward announced Town Manager Cass Newell had resigned, effective Feb. 4. From left are Vice Chairperson Phil Devlin, Chairperson Matt Frank, Nate Sessions and Colleen Densmore. Nicole Carter/Advertiser Democrat
HARRISON — Cass Newell has resigned as Harrison’s town manager, effective Feb. 4.
Select Board Chairperson Matt Frank made the announcement during the board’s Jan. 9 meeting.
After going into an executive session with Newell, selectmen returned but Newell did not. Her name plaque remained on the table but had been placed to face the wall.
“We just had an executive session and at that session Cass Newell resigned as town manager,” Frank said. “I, for one, am very sorry … for the town. In my mind she’s done a lot (for Harrison) in the last three years.”
Frank advised residents to consider a pin he was wearing that said “be kind,” and said he and Vice Chairperson Phil Devlin would reach out to the town’s attorney for guidance, as well as contact Maine Municipal Association to start a search for an interim town manager.
“That may take a fair amount of time, as there are a lot of towns like Harrison that don’t have a town manager,” he said.
Newell succeeded Tim Pellerin three years ago. While she saw several major projects go from stalled to completion, her tenure has been marred by vitriol and personal attacks from some residents, including stalking, harassment and smear campaigns.
Newell oversaw the transfer of cemeteries from the diminished and resource-strapped Harrison Village Cemetery Association to the town in 2021, which included stone restorations, restarting grounds maintenance and a procedure to properly retire veterans’ flags; construction of a new public works facility; and secured hundreds of thousands in grants to fund projects.
More than a month ago Peter Brown, a part-time resident who splits his time between Maine and Florida, began circulating a vote of no confidence petition against Newell. His initiative got early attention among residents on one of Harrison’s Facebook groups but stalled as a grassroots group led by members of the Planning Board, dubbed Harrison Citizens Organization, took shape.
Reached by phone recently, Brown said he was unsure of the status and was unable to reach any residents who might have updated details regarding the petition.
Special meeting
After accepting Newell’s resignation, Frank moved to budget scheduling for the next fiscal year and Harrison Citizens Organization’s request to establish a finance or budget committee
Residents speaking on behalf of the organization urged selectmen to approve their request and build the parameters of the committee later.
However, after about 40 minutes discussing how to approach its makeup, which included consideration that, at best, Harrison would have an interim town manager begin work at a very difficult time, selectmen moved on to the next agenda item without making any motion to form the committee.
Instead, Frank proposed a special Select Board meeting for Jan. 16 to hear a motion and vote whether to create the committee.
Selectperson Colleen Dinsmore requested that appointing a new director to the Oxford Hills’ school board be added to that agenda.
Following the selectmen’s meeting, Harrison Citizens Organization leader Mike Garvey posted on the group’s private Facebook page that its Jan. 13 meeting would focus solely on how to organize the proposed finance committee from residents’ standpoint.
Garvey also posted that the priority agenda item of the group’s February meeting will be to strategize on influencing the selection process for hiring a new town manager.
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