MECHANIC FALLS – Longtime Town Clerk Shirley Marquis has been demoted to deputy town clerk in the wake of her arrest on pot and OUI charges.

The demotion has led to a shakeup among town hall staff.

Marquis, now taking on the role of a tax officer, has been replaced by her former deputy, Lisa Prevost. The former tax officer, Lisa Palmer, will be Prevost’s deputy.

“There’s no way we can make people happy with this,” Town Manager John Hawley said. “We felt that this was the best option for (Marquis) and the town.”

His office began receiving calls after news circulated of Marquis’ April 28 arrest.

Town police pulled over Marquis at 1:30 a.m. on a routine traffic stop on North Main Street. She was charged with drunken driving.

Later, while she was being booked at the Androscoggin County Jail, she was allegedly found to be possessing marijuana. Marquis was charged with trafficking in prison contraband.

Though she has not been convicted, Hawley believed he needed to make a change, he said. He consulted the town attorney and decided that the public trust had been violated.

Municipal employees are held to a higher standard than the general public, he said.

He offered Marquis the demotion. If she hadn’t accepted, she could have resigned or he would have fired her, he said.

“It was not easy,” Hawley said. He announced the change during Monday’s Town Council meeting.

Marquis, who declined comment, has worked for the town for 22 years. She served as the clerk for more than a decade.