ANSON — The Board of Selectmen is considering the possible resignation of Administrative Assistant Triss Smith after she submitted a notice on Monday saying that she plans to resign.

Arnold Luce, chairman of the board, said Wednesday that the board received notice from Smith in the mail. He said her resignation isn’t official yet, and the board is hoping to convince her not to resign.

Before the notice in the mail came, Luce said the board had discussed Smith and her position in an executive session last week. He said he could not discuss what happened in the executive session.

Luce said Smith’s possible resignation is unrelated to an ongoing investigation into the disappearance of $77,000 in town money. The missing money from the excise tax account was revealed in an audit presented to voters at the Town Meeting in March and since then has led to a state police investigation and the confiscation of more than $58,000 in cash from the home of Anson Tax Collector Claudia Viles.

Smith was hired by the board about a year ago in May 2014. As administrative assistant, she is charged with overseeing the town’s day-to-day operations, providing assistance in the Town Office and to the board and acting as town clerk and treasurer. She was hired at a salary of $46,000.

Smith, reached on Wednesday at the Town Office, said she had no comment.

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“I really don’t know why (she’s offered her resignation),” Luce said Wednesday. “We haven’t really talked with her. We’re hoping to talk her out of it, but I’m not sure if we can.”

The board has a regularly scheduled meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Town Office. Luce said they plan to discuss the position then.

“It’s a tough situation to talk about, where it’s kind of in limbo,” he said.

Rachel Ohm — 612-2368

rohm@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @rachel_ohm


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