20 Oct Midcoast News – October 20th, 2014

Eldridge vacation time still an issue

In Brunswick, more action is expected this evening in the process of naming a new town manager. The town council has picked longtime town finance director John Eldridge for the job, but a contract has yet to be formalized, and some councilors are uneasy about the fact that Eldridge has run up over 60 thousand dollars in accrued vacation time. This, in spite of an ordinance limiting town employees to 30 days of accrued time. The council is expected to talk in closed session in advance of tonight’s public meeting, and there may be a vote this evening.

Brunswick police standoff

A 51-year-old Brunswick woman identified as Tammie Keslake is being held for evaluation at Midcoast Hospital after a standoff with police that began late Saturday, and lasted for over seven hours–not ending until after midnight Sunday. The incident began with police receiving a report of gunfire inside the woman’s home at 1133 Mere Point Road, and after she refused police invitations to surrender, they fired gas into the home, causing her to leave.  Charges are now pending, and police say a Remington 20 gauge shotgun and ammunition were recovered from the home.

Strike continues

The strike of Fairpoint Communications employees rolls on, with no end in sight. The job action is now in a fourth day, and employees continue to picket the company’s locations in Portland and elsewhere in Maine. Fairpoint has brought in replacement workers who have crossed the picket lines, but a union spokeswoman says there have been no incidents.