ST. ALBANS – A special selectmen’s meeting held Friday morning was the forum for a poignant goodbye message from 27-year veteran Town Manager Larry Post, who promised: “I’ll be back.”

Post’s contract was not renewed this fall by a two-man Board of Selectmen, and today is his last day of work. No reason has been given for his termination, and the issue has thrown the community into turmoil.

A petition was presented earlier this month to the selectmen asking them to rescind their vote on the contract. Meetings have drawn hundreds of townspeople, and Post now is taking legal action against the community that he says he loves.

“I don’t like it. I hate it, but I can’t just walk away,” Post said.

Residents also learned Friday that the board was relying on legal advice from the town’s attorney, whose services were paid for privately by one of the selectmen. The residents questioned the appropriateness of the advice.

Meanwhile, after more than six weeks of repeatedly asking the selectmen why Post’s contract was not renewed, residents on Friday formally accused the board of violating state law by not providing a public, written record of why they chose not to renew the contract.

Attorney Michael Wiers of St. Albans told the board that state law requires them to put their reasoning in writing and make that record public if they fail to renew a contract.

Under the state’s Freedom of Access Law, the board is required to “set forth in the record the reason or reasons for its decision and make findings of fact, in writing, sufficient to appraise the individual concerned and any interested member of the public of the basis for the decision.”

“No comment” has been the only answer provided by Selectmen Daniel Hanson and Wolfgang “Gus” Fasse, as they maintain that their discussions with Post regarding his contract were made in executive session, which is required by state law to remain secret.

Post has released the board, in writing, from keeping that discussion confidential, but the board has continued to refuse to comment.

Even after Wiers on Friday provided copies of the state statute that requires written documentation of their reasoning, Hanson replied, “I’ll take it up with the attorney.” Hanson did not indicate to whom he was referring.

Fasse, however, admitted that “the public part, we did not do.”

When residents further questioned how the attorney’s services were being paid, Fasse said he was paying for advice from his own pocket.

“I don’t like to burden this town,” he said.

“Are you carrying out the purposes of this town or personal business?” Wiers questioned.

Several residents shouted from the audience that it was clear there was a “personal vendetta” against Post, particularly since private money was funding the move to remove him from office.

“The right-to-know law has not been complied with at this point,” said Wiers, who also warned the board he would “take this to the next step” if the selectmen failed to fulfill their legal obligations.

That step would include filing a formal complaint with the Somerset County district attorney.

During the meeting, Hanson and Fasse appointed Horace E. Taylor of Newcastle as interim town manager for up to three months. He will be paid monthly based on a $28,000 per year salary but will get no benefits. Taylor is the town’s assessing agent.

Hanson said the selectmen will accept resumes for the town manager’s position and they expect to have a permanent manager within three months. When asked if a hiring committee will be appointed, Hanson said that was the selectmen’s duty.

After the meeting, Hanson was asked when the board met and voted to reject a compromise presented earlier this month by Post.

The compromise stated Post would remain in place until the March annual town meeting when a new Board of Selectmen is seated and they could determine what direction to take.

Hanson said there was no meeting or vote.

He said he talked on the telephone with his attorney, Ed Bearor of Bangor, who also is the town’s attorney, and that Bearor also talked on the telephone – separately – with Fasse.

Hanson refused to answer repeated questions on how the decision was made to write a formal letter to Post rejecting the compromise.