Tremont Select Board accepts resignation and withdraws CEO contract, to advertise for full‑time CEO

The Tremont Select Board on Sept. 16 accepted the resignation of Katie Parsons and authorized the Town Manager to withdraw the town’s CEO contract with Southwest Harbor and to advertise for a full-time CEO for Tremont.

Kevin Buck moved and Eric Eaton seconded a motion to accept Katie Parsons’s resignation, effective Sept. 27, 2024; to authorize the Town Manager to notify Southwest Harbor that Tremont is withdrawing its CEO contract; and to advertise hiring a full-time CEO for the Town of Tremont. The motion passed unanimously.

The motion followed an executive session called under 1 MRSA §405(6)(A) for personnel matters; the board entered executive session at 5:45 p.m. and closed it at 6:05 p.m. The minutes state the executive-session finding that public discussion could be expected to damage employee reputation or violate privacy, but they do not record details of the personnel discussion conducted in executive session.

The board’s actions provide town staff authority to proceed with administrative steps: notifying Southwest Harbor about the contract withdrawal, accepting the effective resignation date (Sept. 27, 2024), and advertising to fill the CEO role as a full-time position. The minutes do not state Katie Parsons’s job title at the time of resignation beyond recording the resignation and the contract action; the minutes also do not include any public statements by Ms. Parsons or Southwest Harbor.

Town Manager Jesse Dunbar will carry out the notifications and the hiring advertisement, and will report back to the Select Board on subsequent steps as required.