Brewer selects Estes as coach Cookson doesn’t get softball post

BREWER – Former Brewer High softball coach Kelly Cookson’s attorney, A.J. Greif of Bangor, was the last person from the public to speak at Thursday’s special school board meeting, telling the panel he would see them in court.

Greif’s statement drew applause from a majority of the 50 or so residents, parents and softball players in attendance at the meeting in which Harry “Skip” Estes was hired to replace Cookson after 14 years.

“You guys could have made the right decision,” Greif said. “And I’m looking forward to seeing you in court because you made the wrong one.”

Cookson’s contract was not renewed after a former player filed a notice of claim against her last October alleging the coach mistreated her. Cookson, in turn, has accused Superintendent Dan Lee of slander in the way he handled the notice of claim against her. Greif sent Lee and the city a notice of claim letter last week seeking $48,000 in damages. Greif stated the notice of claim would be dropped if Cookson was rehired.

Filing a notice of claim often is the first step taken before filing a lawsuit.

Cookson and members of her coaching staff including Estes, as well as school administrators, are named in a notice of claim issued Oct. 20 that claims Cookson verbally abused Stacey Gomm, now a Brewer High School junior, during a team cookout last April. One of the activities that occurred that day was a walk across a pile of dirt and straw that contained sheep feces.

Gomm and her mother, Beth Seaney, and stepfather, Larry Seaney, claim Gomm was verbally abused and forced to walk barefoot through the sheep feces. The notice of claim states Gomm is seeking $1 million in damages.

Estes, one of four other coaches named in the Gomm notice of claim, has been involved with the softball program in Brewer for a number of years and was the junior varsity softball coach last year.

“Mr. Estes knows many of the players and is familiar with Brewer’s program,” Lee said after making his recommendation. “Athletic director Dennis Kiah has confidence that Mr. Estes will do an excellent job and continue Brewer’s proud softball tradition.”

When Estes’ hiring was announced, several parents held their faces in their hands and some players cried, including Rachael Joyce, of Veazie, one of Cookson’s biggest supporters.

“The lawsuit and her coaching are completely separate things,” she said after the meeting, visibly frustrated by the news.

At the end of the 15-minute meeting, eight people were given one minute each to speak before the proceeding was cut short in order to allow the school board to attend an open house at the high school’s science labs. All spoke in support of Cookson, except for Al Chambers, who supported the school board’s position.

“It took a lot of courage to make this decision,” he said. “I applaud you.”

During the meeting, the board also hired Deidra Davis as the varsity softball assistant coach; Kristen VanDusen as the varsity tennis head coach; and Ian Carlson as a high school advisor.