In a year marked by municipal upheaval, two more Houlton officials have resigned, leaving multiple town leadership positions open as the year ends.
Code Enforcement Officer Ben Torres and Parks and Recreation Director Owen Gallop will leave their posts in January.
The resignations come on the heels of Town Manager Cameron Clark’s Dec. 8 contract termination and the resignation of Public Works and Airport Director Chris Stewart.
During 2025, this small Aroostook County town of about 6,000 has been rocked by controversy and a mass exodus for the door in the wake of Clark’s September felony arrest. Several town leaders and most of the Town Council resigned.
In the midst of these resignations, three departments declared no confidence in the town manager and Town Council, and two police officers resigned.
Town Clerk Khylee Wampler was appointed assistant town manager in October when Clark was placed on administrative leave. She now juggles multiple roles — town clerk, assistant town manager, interim tax collector, interim general assistance administrator, public access officer, deputy treasurer, election warden and registrar of voters — until those vacancies are filled.
Torres’ last day is Friday, Jan. 2, and Gallop’s is Jan. 16. Torres was not immediately available for comment.
Torres, who was hired on July 5, 2022, has tackled challenges related to enforcing town code violations and was responsible for streamlining a previously lengthy court-involved process in an attempt to clean up town properties.
His current salary is $62,318.
When he started the job, it took at least 90 days before the town could set a court date on a solid waste code violation. Since that time, he has been able to reduce some of the notice timeframes, and more proposed changes would drastically cut the times for compliance.
Josh McLaughlin, owner of J. McLaughlin Construction, who lives on Park Street, said in 2024 that as a taxpayer and business owner who donates a lot of time and money to the community, he found the condition of the community going downhill rapidly, escalating out of control.
“The trash and rat infestation is pathetic at best,” McLaughlin said during a 2024 Town Council meeting, calling on Torres to make needed changes. “There isn’t a street in town that doesn’t have a house with tall grass … the walking trail downtown, there’s encampments that get moved along by police but they come back.”
In November 2024, Torres proposed changes to the town’s solid waste ordinance that would shorten compliance times and authorize local police to issue citations for violations. The council approved the changes in January.
Gallop’s role with the town started as a youth staff member when he was 16. He was hired in January 2023 as the recreation program assistant, and was later promoted to lead the department when then-director Marie Carmichael retired after decades in the position.
Gallop’s current salary is $61,661.
“This was not an easy decision, and one I put a lot of thought into,” Gallop said on Tuesday. “I’m very grateful for my time with the department here and for the opportunity to serve the community I called home. Ultimately, I felt it was the right time to take the next step in my career and pursue opportunities that will allow me to continue growing professionally.”
Gallop has accepted a position with the Brunswick Parks and Recreation Department and will start there at the end of January, he said.
During his tenure he advanced the outdoor recreational offerings by adding bicycles, events and overseeing a $50,000 donation from the Christopher & Nancy Pierce Charitable Foundation for the installation of a community pickle ball court.
In February, Gallop worked with Jennie Schools, a nutrition educator in Maine for the federally funded SNAP-Ed assistance program, to install a story trail in Houlton’s Riverfront Park. It is modeled after the famed Vermont-based StoryWalk that was created with an initial $250 donation in 2007 by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, who wanted to get parents and kids playing outside together.
Chris Stewart, Houlton’s director of public works, who also managed the Houlton International Airport and the town’s park maintenance, resigned in November after 11 years on the job.
Stewart spearheaded a long list of projects including maintaining the town roads even when funds were limited, keeping costly vehicles running past their prime, preparing bids for new equipment when necessary, growth at the airport and other duties the town called on him to complete.
He did not give a specific reason for his resignation, but said it was time for him to move on and do something different.
“Bob Monfils is the interim public works director, hopefully we will get a town manager soon to help with the hiring process,” Wampler said.
In December the Town Council decided to immediately terminate Clark’s contract without cause and they are currently seeking an interim town manager.
The town is currently accepting applications for these positions.
