Burnes named interim police chief

BROWNVILLE — Following the immediate resignation of Brownville Police Chief Nicholas Clukey on Feb. 17, the selectmen appointed Sgt. Seth Burnes as interim chief of police during a special emergency meeting on Feb. 21.
The board also voted that evening to post the position internally, with the motions each being made after an approximate 45-minute executive session with Burnes present. Burnes will be earning $55,000 annually.
“It is until the appropriate appointment, until we can fill the position of chief officially” Select Chair Dolly Perkins said.
On Monday Town Manager Kathy White said that Burnes will be serving as interim chief “probably until town meeting, by then we should have a contract ready.”
The annual Brownville town meeting will be on Monday, March 20 at 7 p.m. at the Brownville Elementary School.
Burnes joined the Brownville Police Department in July 2013 as a reserve officer. White said he was promoted to the rank of sergeant last April.
Clukey had been police chief for nearly a decade, assuming the position in the fall of 2007 after having previously served as a full-time officer in town as well as a reserve for other area police agencies. When asked, White said she could not speak on Clukey’s reasons for stepping down.
The town is currently advertising for an immediate full-time police officer, “the No. 2 position,” as White called it which is one of two full-time positions aside from the chief. Brownville also has another ad — which is also in this week’s Piscataquis Observer — for part-time officer positions, an ongoing need for the department and other departments throughout the region.

Interim Chief Burnes