The Minnehata Fire Co. in Nobleboro elected Ryan Gallagher on July 6 to be the department’s new fire chief.
Gallagher had been serving as acting chief for the last few weeks but was unsure whether he would step in long term.
Gallagher took over a department that has seen some trying times in the last few months. The department voted to remove previous Fire Chief Woodbury McLean on June 14.
McLean’s removal followed a string of incidents including a state suspension of his driver’s license that prompted the board of selectmen to order him to not drive any town vehicles.
Those incidents culminated in the Nobleboro Board of Selectmen sending a letter on April 15 to every member of the fire department asking them to “find a solution” to the various problems.
McLean was ousted in the face of an investigation from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office into accusations that he had mismanaged fire department funds.
“We’re not looking back; we’re looking forward,” Gallagher said in a phone interview on July 7. “I’ve got a great team of officers, and we’re going to make it work.”
Although Gallagher said that to some extent he was elected because he was the only one willing to do the job, he’s excited about the position and optimistic about the future of the department.
“Pretty much everyone was in agreement at the vote,” he said. “It’s going to be a rough road, but I think everybody in the department is happy now.”
Gallagher said in previous interviews that he plans to get the department more involved in the community and work on some outreach programs and community events.
At this time, the department is scheduled to take part in North Nobleboro Days in August and the AppleFest in October, Gallagher said.
