By Scott Mitchell Johnson
Staff Writer
MARS HILL, Maine — Former Mars Hill town manager Raymond Mersereau has agreed to serve as interim manager following the recent departure of Karin Petrin, who stepped down at the Nov. 18 town council meeting. In an e-mail sent earlier that day, Petrin said her decision was best “both for me personally and the organization.”
“The success of a town’s government is dependent upon the effectiveness of the town’s council (or select board) and town manager relationship. A young town council benefits from an experienced manager and vice-versa, presumably,” said Petrin. “As such, the probationary period has served its purpose to determine the compatibility of the candidate to the position in the organization. At this juncture, the probationary period has ended and the Mars Hill Town Council and I have mutually agreed that this is not a good fit.”
According to Nick McCrum, council chair, the search for a permanent replacement will commence as soon as possible.
“The council will be discussing qualities as we list the career announcement,” he said. “No deadline has been set at this time.”
Petrin was hired May 16, her first day at the office was May 20, and she was officially appointed by the town council June 17. She replaced Dan McClung whose contract was not renewed.
