Clinton Collamore, Chairman of the Waldoboro Board of Selectmen, announced in a letter to the board that he is resigning from his position on the Board of Selectmen.
Collamore has applied for a municipal job, and the Maine Municipal Association told him that it might be a conflict of interest for him to hold a position on the Board of Selectmen, he wrote in the letter.
Whether the MMA decides it’s a conflict of interest or not, stepping down is the right thing to do, Collamore wrote.
The selectmen “regretfully accepted” his resignation at their regular meeting on July 27. Collamore served as a selectmen for almost 14 years.
“He did a fine job,” said Selectman Ted Wooster.
Vice Chair Becky Maxwell will step in as chairman of the board. The seat will be filled at the November election, the board said.
“They save lives, of both officers and citizens,” Labombarde said. Waldoboro police are the only agency in Lincoln County without them, he said.
Labombarde cited two recent incidents during which suspects threatened officers with weapons, and Waldoboro police had to rely on sheriff’s deputies to step in and use their Tasers.
It will cost $3425 to purchase the Tasers and implement them, including training, Labombarde said. At the July 17 meeting, the selectmen approved transferring $2500 from the Police Dept. Operating Fund to the Equipment Reserve Fund for the purpose of purchasing Tasers.
The selectmen did not approve the purchase of Tasers at the meeting, but approved Waldoboro Town Manager William Post to investigate the matter further.
Selectman Craig Cooley said he would like to see them purchased with drug forfeiture money, and all of the selectmen agreed a policy for their use needs to be written and approved, before they are purchased.
Two of the Tasers would be for the on duty patrol cars, and the third would be for the school resource officer, Labombarde told the board.
Waldoboro resident Mary Ellen Crowley told the board she was concerned about the potential for abuse with Tasers.
She cited statistics from Amnesty International on death rates as a result of Taser use.
“No one has an issue with Tasers being used in place of deadly force,” Crowley said. “It’s when they get used to bring compliance that it starts to get scary.”
Labombarde agreed and said officers will be trained to rely on good police work, not their Tasers.
Labombarde and the selectmen will consider spending more money to purchase video and audio recording equipment that mounts on the Tasers. This would help the town avoid liability in allegations of police misconduct, the board said.
If the Tasers are purchased, Labombarde will volunteer to be the first victim at a demonstration of their use, he said. “It’s not fun, but I’ve done it before,” he told the board.