Skowhegan select board elects Whitney Kimmel chair, names interim town manager; vice chair wins 3-2

The Skowhegan Select Board elected Whitney Kimmel as chair at its first meeting with the newly seated board and chose Kevin Nelson as vice chair in a 3-2 vote. The board also voted unanimously to appoint Nicholas (Nick) Nadeau as town manager until a permanent replacement is hired.

The vote for chair followed nominations from board members. Ambersupporters praised Amber Lampke’s experience but members split on who should lead the board. After nominations for both Amber Lampke and Whitney Kimmel, the board voted to make Kimmel chair; the meeting record shows the board chair declaration but does not list a roll-call tally for that motion.

The board elected Kevin Nelson vice chair by a recorded margin of 3 in favor and 2 opposed. Members who spoke during the vice-chair discussion raised training concerns for newly elected members; one select member noted that Maine Municipal Association training for new members is not scheduled until September but Kevin Nelson said he will pursue other training opportunities in the interim.

The board then acted on the town manager position. After an amendment clarifying that the appointment would run “until a permanent replacement is found,” the board voted 5-0 to appoint Nicholas Nadeau as town manager with the authority to act in the role on an interim basis. Nadeau had been serving in the job and told the board he is phasing out responsibilities in his previous town to focus on Skowhegan.

What happened next: Kimmel moved into the chair role immediately and began moving through the meeting agenda. Nelson will serve as vice chair and one board member said they expect to take MMA training in September. The board did not begin the search for a permanent town manager during the meeting; members said that search will occur in the future.

Speakers quoted in this article were drawn from the meeting transcript and are identified by name and role where given in the record.

Votes and formal actions recorded at the meeting included (motions listed in the meeting minutes): the election of Whitney Kimmel as chair (motion carried; roll-call not specified in the record), election of Kevin Nelson as vice chair (vote reported 3–2), and appointment of Nicholas Nadeau as town manager until a permanent replacement is found (vote 5–0).

The board continued into its agenda, turning next to committee appointments and department reports.

Ending: The board said it will move forward with standard onboarding and training and will pursue the permanent town manager search at a later date.