NORRIDGEWOCK — Norridgewock selectmen did some quick backpedaling Monday morning, after they learned that an Augusta man they had hired last week to be the new town manager had a criminal conviction in his past.

Norridgewock doesn’t have a good track record in finding and keeping town managers — two candidates dropped out of the search this month before a decision was even made. They cited discontent in the community and disagreement with selectmen’s philosophy. The last town manager resigned in a fiery letter that blasted the community as a “haven of hate.”

Last Wednesday, during a regular selectmen’s meeting, Donald F. Sproul, 41, of Augusta was named the town manager. He was to have begun his duties Monday with an introduction to town employees, followed by a reception later this week. But it appears that selectmen were unaware that Sproul was convicted in 1987 of ballot tampering involving 29 absentee ballots. After his conviction, he resigned from his legislative seat representing District 88 in Augusta.

Friday morning, selectmen called an emergency meeting, followed by their cancellation of Monday’s “getting to know you” events. Monday morning, they held a second emergency meeting. No town official would comment on whether publicity about Sproul’s tampering convictions had caused the board to rethink his hiring.

Reached Monday afternoon at his home in Augusta, Sproul said, “They have asked me not to go into the office,” despite his belief that he is officially the new town manager.

Sproul said it was his “gut feeling” that the selectmen’s actions were prompted by his not disclosing the conviction.

Sproul said he did not include the ballot tampering conviction on his resume. “I included my legislative service, including the dates,” said Sproul, adding that since he resigned in the spring, anyone reading the resume should have seen that it was an unusual time to leave the Legislature. “That leaves it open to questions and I can answer them as they come up,” he said. “No one usually puts negative things about themselves on their resume.

“(The selectmen) feel that things went a little too quickly,” said Sproul, “and are conducting a background check on me. I have no problem with that. In fact, it is prudent, to protect themselves from any other surprises.”

A closed-door session of the Norridgewock selectmen Monday morning apparently did little to resolve the situation.

Interim Town Manager Faye Stevens refused to comment on the Monday meeting, saying only that Sproul “did not report” for work Monday. She said he was not in attendance at the special meeting. Sproul said he was not invited to attend either of the emergency sessions.

Stevens referred calls to John Doucette, chairman of the Board of Selectmen, who did not return calls left on his answering machine Monday.

According to John Hodgdon, board vice chairman, no decision was reached Monday morning and he said the board was still reviewing the contract situation. He said Sproul was not really hired and that at the Wednesday night meeting, “we took a vote to review a contract and possibly sign it.”

But the minutes of that meeting state that Hodgdon made a motion, seconded by Selectman Harry Norton, “to hire Donald F. Sproul as town manager of Norridgewock, effective Feb. 26, 1996.” The vote to hire Sproul was unanimous.

In 1987, Sproul resigned during his third term as a state legislator after his conviction on two misdemeanors of tampering with 29 absentee ballots. He was fined $1,000 and sentenced to 10 days in jail.

Sproul was the youngest town manager in Maine when he was hired by the town of Bowdoinham at the age of 22, 19 years ago.

Since his conviction, Sproul spent three years as executive director of the Maine Campground Owners Association and five years as executive director of Bread of Life Ministries, which operates a homeless shelter and soup kitchen in Augusta.

Sproul said the board will meet on Wednesday night and he expects its review to be completed.