Harmon steps down as county jail administrator
Commissioners appoint Landry
as interim successor
By Mike Lange
Staff Writer
DOVER-FOXCROFT — After four heart attacks, two surgeries and six years of frustration dealing with the Maine Board of Corrections, Piscataquis County Jail Administrator David Harmon has announced his retirement effective Friday, Jan. 16.
In a letter presented to the county commissioners at last week’s meeting, Harmon stressed that he had nothing but praise for his coworkers and enjoyed the support he had at the local level during the past 14 years. “I think we have done an excellent job as shown by the lack of problems within the facility and by the excellent rating we have received on our inspections,” Harmon wrote.
However, Harmon said that the BOC’s policy of “penalizing” county jails that run a surplus in their budget is self-defeating. “This past year, reducing our budget by $157,000 because we did not use it – and what I feel is punishing us because we were able to generate federal revenue beyond what I had estimated – was one of the straws that broke the back,” he added.
As Harmon put it, “No good turn goes unpunished.”
Officials have pointed out previously that the Piscataquis County jail budget is capped by the BOC at $878,000 when the actual cost of running the operation is $1.4 million. State subsidies are supposed to pick up the rest of the cost, but it depends on legislative action. When jails like Piscataquis County run a surplus, however, the amount they save is now deducted from the following year’s budget.
Previously, surplus jail revenue was used for capital improvements like roof repairs or replacing the heating system.
The county commissioners unanimously accepted the recommendations of Harmon, Sheriff John Goggin and Chief Deputy Robert Young to appoint Maria Landry to Harmon’s position on an interim basis.
Landry was described by Goggin as “extremely capable. She knows as much as anybody in the department about the operation of the jail on a day-to-day basis.”
Landry, who has been with the county since 2003, is a 911 dispatcher and also a certified corrections officer. She also serves on the Brownville Board of Selectmen.
The sheriff added that Landry may need some guidance on inspection procedures and other duties, but said that Harmon would assist her during the transition period.
“We’ve run the jail and the dispatch center on a shoestring budget for so long that we’re at the end of the string,” Harmon quipped.
Because of vacancies due to four employees on sick leave or worker’s compensation, there were 72 shifts that had to be filled with part-timers during the month of December alone, Harmon said. “I only have five part-time officers and they all have regular jobs,” he explained.
While normally a position like jail administrator would be advertised, the commissioners and Lizotte noted that the Legislature will consider several bills related to county jails in the upcoming session. They range from eliminating the BOC altogether and returning local control of the jails to the county to having the state take over the whole county jail system.
“Going on an interim basis (appointing Landry) makes sense. The overall BOC picture is in such a state of flux right now that I’d feel uncomfortable posting an advertisement for an administrator,” Lizotte said. “We don’t know what the Legislature is going to do during the next six months.”
Goggin said that if the Legislature decides to turn corrections facilities back to the counties without any state reimbursement to close the gap between revenue and expenses, “That’s going to be disastrous to the taxpayers.”
Lizotte agreed. “The overall county tax increase just to support the jail would be about 12 percent,” Lizotte estimated. “You never want to be in a situation where you increase people’s tax bill by double-digits in one year.”
More information about pending legislation is expected to be released in a few weeks.
The next county commissioners’ meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 20 at 8:30 a.m.