LIMESTONE – Brian Hamel, president and chief executive officer of the Loring Development Authority, will leave his position sometime between now and the end of his contract on June 13.

In the meantime, LDA Chairman Philip St. Peter announced Hamel’s replacement Tuesday afternoon. Carl Flora, who has been at the helm of LDA since last March, when Hamel took a leave of absence to campaign for Congress, was named LDA president and chief executive officer-designee.

Until his actual departure date, Hamel will continue his employment as president and CEO and will work on business development and leadership transition matters. Flora will handle all of the day-to-day executive responsibilities.

Hamel, reached at home Tuesday, said the break “is amicable.”

There have been tensions between the LDA board of trustees and Hamel for the past month. After Hamel lost his congressional bid to Democrat Mike Michaud on Nov. 2, he returned to Loring and wanted his job.

Loring’s trustees met on Nov. 11 and questions arose then as to whether Hamel would be returning. In a memorandum dated Nov. 13, Hamel told St. Peter that he had no intention of tendering his resignation under the terms offered by the board of trustees. He said he would return to his job according to his contract, which was effective to June 13, 2005, and the terms of the leave of absence he was granted last spring.

“The LDA Board has no intention of entering into discussions with me concerning a renewal of my employment contract,” Hamel wrote to St. Peter. “The LDA Board believes that it would be ‘the honorable thing for me to do’ to resign immediately … with no remuneration.”

Hamel said the wage value of his contract through June 13, 2005, was $110,969 and should be viewed as severance pay. He also said in the letter that he felt he was entitled to incentive compensation, benefits and accrued vacation that along with wages total $133,826.

Toward the end of his memo to St. Peter, Hamel said he would resign for a lump sum payment of $90,000.

Some people believed Hamel, who came to Loring in June 1994 before the U.S. Air Force vacated the base, was looking elsewhere for employment after the election and that he had made contacts among Republicans during the campaign.

Others thought Hamel may no longer be effective in Maine. Hamel lost his campaign as a Republican; the majority of the state Legislature and the governor are Democrats.

“I made the decision that it was time for me to pursue other professional opportunities,” Hamel said Tuesday afternoon. “I’ve always had a great relationship with the [LDA] board, and it will continue.”

In Tuesday’s press release, Hamel said he was proud of his 101/2 years with the LDA, the 1,200 jobs created at the former base, and the $650 million that Loring development contributed to the local economy.

“We should all be extremely proud to say that Loring is now the model for rural military base closure across the country,” Hamel wrote.