Somerset County officials look to fill a vacancy on the Board of Commissioners sooner rather than later after a longtime commissioner stepped down last week.

The county’s charter dictates a unique process by which municipal officials from the vacant seat’s district participate in a caucus to choose someone to fill the position until the end of 2026.

Interested candidates who live in commissioner District 2 are asked to contact the county administrator’s office, located in the county courthouse at 41 Court St. in Skowhegan. The office can be reached by phone at 207-474-9861 or by email at [email protected].

Cyprien Johnson, of Madison, represented District 2 for about a decade. Johnson, who previously served on select boards in Skowhegan and Madison, announced his resignation during the commissioners’ meeting Oct. 2, saying he is moving to Skowhegan. Commissioners must reside in the district they represent.

District 2 is made up of Anson, Madison, Mercer, New Portland, Smithfield, Starks, Highland Plantation, Lexington Township, Concord Township and the central and northwest unorganized unorganized territories.

Once candidates are identified, the county commissioners plan to schedule the caucus at the county courthouse.

Per the Somerset County charter, when a commissioner resigns, dies or otherwise leaves office, the Board of Commissioners shall call for a caucus of the municipal officers — select board members or their equivalent — of that district to appoint a person eligible to fill the vacancy. The same process can be used in Somerset County to fill vacancies for other elected positions, except for district attorney; it was used most recently in 2023 to appoint a register of deeds.

The county charter says the person chosen to fill the commissioner vacancy would serve until Dec. 31 following the next November election. 

County Administrator Tim Curtis told the commissioners that given how close the November 2025 election was to Johnson’s resignation, the Department of the Secretary of State advised it would be acceptable to fill the position by caucus until November 2026.

At that time, a special election will be held to fill the remaining two years of the term for the District 2 seat. Three other county commissioner positions will also be on the ballot at that time for full, four-year terms.

County commissioners are responsible for policy making, according to the Somerset County charter. The five-member board, which typically meets twice per month, also hires and oversees the county administrator and plays a key role in the yearly budget process, alongside the Budget Committee.

Somerset County is one of a kind among Maine counties in that it elects all offices, except for its shared district attorney with Kennebec County, in non-partisan elections. 

Commissioners are paid $9,000 per year, Curtis said. The chair is paid an additional $1,000.

County departments include the sheriff’s office, district attorney’s office, communications center, emergency management agency, registry of deeds and probate court.

State law dictates that the governor has the power to appoint a commissioner in the case of a vacancy.

But for counties with charters, the process varies. Aroostook and Knox counties leave it to the governor to make an appointment, with language similar to state statute; Cumberland County lets the Board of Commissioners appoint someone until the next November election; and Androscoggin County has a process by which the resigning commissioner’s political party caucuses to nominate a candidate.