Jefferson Road Commissioner Alan Johnston submitted a letter of resignation to the town’s selectmen Dec. 15. He plans to step down from his role effective April 1.
Johnston, who has served as the town’s road commissioner for 15 of the last 21 years, cited health concerns as the reason for his resignation.
“My health comes first,” Johnston told the selectmen.
Johnston, who will be two years into a three-year term in April, said the reason for such early notice is to give the selectmen time to advertise the position and give people interested in running for the position a chance to collect the necessary signatures.
“We hate to see you go,” said Selectman Chair Greg Johnston.
“Appreciate everything you’ve done,” said Selectman Jigger Clark.
Johnston started as road commissioner in 1993 and said his first job both in that role and with his then-new business, A.J. Construction, was rebuilding the Egypt Road to make it wide enough for school buses and passable during mud season.
Other projects Johnston recalled from his tenure was a rebuilding of Punk Point Road to reduce stormwater runoff – which involved grant funding from the Damariscotta Lake Watershed Association – and the widening and ditching of a narrow portion of Goose Hill Road in 2013.
It was during the Goose Hill Road project that Johnston and the work crew were met by an armed local resident.
The situation escalated and law enforcement responded. The man, who initially refused requests to exit his home, was arrested but later cleared of criminal and civil charges related to the incident.
“That one was quite an achievement,” Johnston said of the project.
The road commissioner position is time-consuming and includes a lot of running around, according to Johnston.
“It’d make an ideal job for a retired person,” he said.
Johnston plans to continue running his business and will also stay on as the assistant chief of Jefferson Fire and Rescue.
“I enjoy working with town people and helping people out, that’s the biggest thing,” he said.
According to Fire Chief Walter Morris, department records show Johnston’s 38 years of service make him “by far” the most senior member of the department in terms of years served.
“I’ve been a firefighter longer than I’ve been married,” Johnston said.
Even if he later decides to step down, Johnston will remain part of the department. Johnston was honored as a lifetime member on Dec. 13, according to Morris.
The honor is normally bestowed on members with 20 or more years of active service with the department when they retire, move away, or step down for one reason or another, Morris said.
“We decided that rather than wait for retirement or whatever, that he deserves to be made a life member,” Morris said.
