HOULTON, Maine — Former Houlton council chairperson Jane Torres accepted a Town Council seat on Thursday, despite resigning Oct. 10 after the town manager was placed on administrative leave.
Houlton voters chose former councilors Torres and Alexis Brown on Tuesday to fill two open three-year terms. Both women had previously resigned from council in the aftermath of Town Manager Cameron Clark’s Sept. 25 arrest on felony victim tampering and domestic violence assault charges. Nonetheless, they remained on the November ballot.
Brown notified Houlton Town Clerk Khylee Wampler on Wednesday that she was declining the position.
Because she declined to accept the seat, the council will appoint someone to fill it for one year.
Brown was the favored candidate with 698 votes. Torres, former town council chairperson, was awarded a seat with 460 votes. Declared write-in candidates Brandon Carmichael received 240 votes and Carl Young 188.
Former Town Councilor Sue Tortello picked up a third uncontested seat on the council with a one-year term, receiving 1,035 votes in Tuesday’s election.
Brown had been appointed to the council earlier this year after Councilor Mark Horvath resigned. She resigned on Oct. 3, saying it had become clear that her perspective differed significantly from the majority of the council.
Her resignation came just hours after Councilor Jon McLaughlin resigned, citing similar differences after the council’s initial decision to keep Clark in his position. The resignations spoke to a growing division among town councilors after Clark’s arrest.
“My morals and ethics will not allow me to continue supporting positions and decisions that I cannot in good conscience uphold,” Brown said in a letter she sent to the Bangor Daily News. “At this time, I must acknowledge that my voice is not clearly heard within the chamber and as such I cannot effectively serve in this role.”
A 24-page police affidavit obtained by the BDN recounts explicit details of the Sept. 12 incident leading up to Clark’s arrest and incarceration. The account alleges that Clark repeatedly shoved a woman he had invited to his home with both hands backward off his porch and into the bushes and later, via Snapchat, threatened that she would never again work in Houlton if she reported it to police.
An increasingly vocal public outrage and the urging of the Maine Town, City & County Management Association to place him on administrative leave with pay until the matter is resolved did not initially dissuade the council, who continued to stand by Clark.
Even after placing him on administrative leave until the court case resolved, Torres declared her continued allegiance to Clark when she resigned her post.
“As council chair I believe that recent threats directed toward the council have created an environment that is no longer conducive to effective government,” Torres said during the Oct. 10 meeting. “Cameron Clark has distinguished himself as one of the most effective and proactive leaders I have had the opportunity to collaborate with. My support for Cameron Clark is unwavering.”
After Torres resigned, Councilors James Peters and Erin Matthews followed suit.
The three resignations left the town without a governing body because with only two remaining councilors there was no longer a quorum, which according to town charter requires four members and a chairperson.
Remaining Councilors Edward Lake and Eileen McLaughlin restored the quorum on Oct. 15 by appointing three men — Jeffrey Maguire, Jantzen Craine and John “J.J.” Schools — to one-year terms that will end in November 2026.
Eileen McLaughlin termed out on Thursday.
At this point, it is unclear when or if Clark will return to his town manager role, pending the outcome of his criminal case. His first hearing is in February.
