Franklin County voters could elect a candidate Nov. 3 who would never take office.
That could happen if voters approve a proposal to make the elected county treasurer post appointed. The change would take effect Jan. 1, 2027, the day the election winner is scheduled to take office.
“Under Title 30-A of Maine statutes, ‘upon abolition of the position of elected county treasurer … the county commissioners shall appoint a treasurer to serve at their will,'” Monitor Local reported Oct. 15.
Franklin County Commissioner Tom Saviello said the change would effectively nullify the election. However, commissioners could appoint either candidate from the ballot — or an outside candidate — to serve while they establish the new position.
That appointee could oversee the county’s current budget through June 30, 2027. Under state law, any appointee “must be qualified in matters of business administration and finance.”
This marks the second time in five years that commissioners have asked Franklin County voters to make the treasurer position appointed. In 2021, voters rejected the proposal 7,500 to 2,407, or 68 to 32 percent. This time, commissioners hope to reverse that outcome.
Incumbent Democrat Pam Prodan of Wilton faces Republican challenger Sue Pratt of Strong, the interim county administrator.
Saviello, who represents Wilton and western Farmington, presented the board’s proposal Oct. 20 to the Wilton Board of Selectpersons. Commissioner Jeff Gilbert, who represents Jay and Chesterville, presented Oct. 13 to the Jay Select Board.
Saviello identified $100,000 in potential savings from appointing a treasurer, including $31,000 from the treasurer’s salary, $20,000 from reorganizing administrative oversight, $20,000 in unorganized territory contributions for “appropriately allocated services,” $15,000 in tax increment financing funds, $8,000 in payroll, and $6,000 for project oversight.
In an interview, Saviello noted that the county also spends $35,000 annually for an accountant and $15,000 for a payroll service.
“Nobody’s job is in jeopardy,” he said. “Our goal is to reduce or eliminate outside consultants.”
Gilbert told the Jay Select Board he expects an appointed treasurer would earn $80,000 to $90,000 annually.
In the interview, Saviello stressed the need for board oversight.
“We need a treasurer who will do what we need done, not what the treasurer wants to do,” he said. “We have no jurisdiction to require them to do anything.”
While some commissioners are advocating publicly for the change, Commissioner Fen Fowler, who represents eastern Farmington, declined to sign a joint letter supporting the measure because the original draft omitted details on potential savings.
Although Saviello outlined potential savings, exact financial outcomes remain uncertain because commissioners would hold full authority to structure the new position as they choose.
No organized opposition has formed, but Prodan has purchased advertisements and written letters to the editor opposing the proposal.
“If you vote ‘NO,'” she wrote in a letter to the Daily Bulldog, a local news website, “you are voting for the people of Franklin County to continue to decide who is treasurer, not commissioners.”
Prodan, who is seeking a fourth four-year term, described the elected post as part of a self-correcting checks and balances system established in 1820.
“It has withstood the test of time,” she wrote. “It’s unimaginable that Maine legislators would ever have meant to craft a law letting a board of commissioners attempt in an election year to nullify a valid election.”
She added that the elected treasurer provides “independent accountability on the use of public funds while safeguarding the county’s assets.”
Lauren Haven, administrator of the Maine County Commissioners Association, told Monitor Local that three counties have appointed treasurers: Cumberland, Knox and Androscoggin.
Prodan wrote in her letter to the editor that none of those three counties voted directly to abolish the elected position. Instead, the changes occurred when those counties adopted new charters. Two other counties adopted charters that retained an elected treasurer.
When Gilbert spoke to the Jay Select Board, Selectman Gary McGrane, a Democrat running against Gilbert for county commissioner, argued that an elected treasurer provides vital checks and balances.
“Any time you eliminate an elected position, you’re taking the right away from voters,” McGrane said. “That’s how democracy gets eroded in this country, one step at a time.”
Gilbert and Saviello did not ask the Jay or Wilton boards for formal statements of support.
“Can you imagine running a $12 million business with an elected treasurer?” Saviello asked the Wilton Board of Selectpersons. “That’s why we want to go to an appointed treasurer.”
Saviello said the county budget totals about $12 million, having risen by more than $5 million since 2020.
Pratt told Monitor Local that he sees merit in both perspectives.
“I can see both sides of the issue,” Pratt said. “Clearly, having more control of the work performed and expected with an appointed position is a benefit to the county. But I believe if the role requires someone with higher credentials and more hours, finding that level of person will be difficult and the cost of doing this will be higher for the county.
“I also believe in the political process and that decisions on representation and officials should be governed by the people.”
Monitor Local asked Prodan the same question Friday morning. She replied Monday that she would “get back to you tomorrow,” adding, “I have to go home now to finish harvesting onions, etc., and help … with firewood.”
If the position is made appointive, Pratt said she would be open to helping structure the transition.
“I would work with them on a process to implement if they wished to have me do that,” Pratt said, referring to the commissioners.
She also said she would accept the permanent post as a part-time position, adding, “I am not interested in a full-time position of any kind.”
Pratt noted she expects the costs involved “will likely dictate a part-time position” unless additional funding becomes available.
Asked whether she is willing to undertake training for an appointed position, Pratt pointed to her background in public education.
“I consider myself a learner,” she said. “I would be more than willing to do whatever training was needed.”
Pratt said she has actively campaigned across the county.
“I have put ads on the Daily Bulldog, put out pamphlets to constituents and have been doing some door-knocking to reach folks,” Pratt said. “I have many lawn signs out around the county as well.”
In addition to advertisements and her letter to the editor, Prodan has also placed lawn signs.
On Nov. 3, polls generally are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Maine law permits polls to open as early as 6 a.m. and requires them to open by 8 a.m., except in municipalities with fewer than 500 residents, where they may open as late as 10 a.m.
Polls must close at 8 p.m., but in communities with fewer than 100 residents, they may close as soon as all registered voters have cast ballots.
