SKOWHEGAN — Newly elected Selectman Donald Skillings said Wednesday the ongoing negotiations with Sappi Fine Paper North America on the valuation of the company’s paper mill in Skowhegan will be a top priority as he takes office.

Skillings won a three-year seat on the board Tuesday, finishing first in a five-person field. He said most of the direct talks over the paper mill valuation will be done with the Board of Assessors, but offered his assistance as a selectman.

“As select people, if there’s a way we can help to either add some knowledge or counsel for the Board of Assessors a little bit on dealing with that situation, that is absolutely priority number one,” Skillings, 45, said. “We need to keep Sappi happy, but we also need to be careful with respect to the revenues coming into town from that tax situation.

Skillings was sworn in Wednesday by Town Clerk Gail Pelotte. His first meeting as selectman is June 24.

Darla Pickett, who was elected to a one-year term on the Board of Selectmen, said she does not have an agenda in mind for when she takes her seat on the five-member board in two weeks.

“I’m really pleased with the vote of confidence,” Pickett said. “The reason I ran is just because I bring a lot of background to the table. I have good institutional knowledge of what’s going on and I think that I bring that and a stable influence. I don’t have an agenda, so I think I can be real fair, honest and objective.”

Pickett is a former Morning Sentinel reporter and Skillings is owner of Skillings Insurance Agency Inc.

Voting results Tuesday in the race for one three-year term on the Board of Selectmen were:

• Skillings, 443

• Michelle L. Cummings, 221

• Derek A. Ellis, 151

• Richard E. Prentiss, 107

• Robert A. Holt, 28

Selectman for a one-year term:

• Pickett, 277

• Siren B. Soren, 234

• Jennifer E. Olsen, 201

• Steve Spaulding, 120

• Thomas L. Batchelder Sr., 91

• Tyler Terstegen, 43

Doug Harlow — 612-2367

dharlow@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @Doug_Harlow

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