Kittery Town Manager, Police Chief Resign

Editor's note: Welcome to "Across the River," which offers stories and news from Kittery, Maine. Each Thursday, Portsmouth Patch will present a story about this community along with a short list of upcoming events and happenings around town. All Portsmouth Patch stories about Kittery, Maine will also be posted in our new "Across the River" topic page that can be accessed by clicking on the News section of the tool bar any time.

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A controversial vote of no confidence by Kittery Police officers in Kittery Police Chief Paul Callaghan earlier this fall boiled over and led to the resignations of the police chief and Town Manager Robert Markel at Monday night's Town Council meeting.

According to Foster's Daily Democrat, the Town Council voted, 4-3, to accept both men's resignations after they had been on the job for less than a year.

As of this Thursday, it is still not clear who will serve as interim Town Manager or acting Police Chief or when the Town Council will begin the process of hiring replacements for Markel and Callaghan.

Seacoast Online reported Wednesday that Markel's resignation is set to take effect on Jan. 24 and Callaghan's final day as the town's police chief will be Dec. 21. The Portsmouth newspaper also reported that the resignations have shocked many town residents.

In other news, Kittery Police also announced they will be conducting a sobriety checkpoint somewhere in town this Friday night, Dec. 14, in conjunction with Maine State Police.

Meetings:

Kittery Parks Commission, Kittery Town Hall, Thursday, Dec. 13, 6 p.m.

Kittery Planning Board, Kittery Town Hall, Thursday, Dec. 13, 5:30 p.m.

Kittery Town Hall closed, Friday, Dec. 14.

Kittery School Committee, Kittery Town Hall, Tuesday, Dec. 18, 6:30 p.m.

Kittery Growth Management Committee, Kittery Town Hall, Wednesday, Dec. 19, 6 p.m.

Events and Announcements:

International Dinner: On Friday, Dec. 14, End 68 Hours of Hunger will host an International Dinner at Kittery Community Center at Frisbee Commons that will feature Greek, German, Russian and Italian foods. From 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., there will be a buffet where tickets cost $15 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under. From 7:30 p.m. on, there will be an elegant dinner, dancing and entertainment where tickets cost $30 for adults.

Need a Christmas tree: Fraser firs and balsam Christmas are being sold at Dairy Queen on the Kittery Traffic Circle for $25 and up, seven days a week.

Get your dog licensed: Kittery town officials want to remind residents they need to get their dogs licensed by Dec. 31. Licenses cost $11 for unaltered dogs and $6 for altered dogs.

KTP Holiday events: The Kittery Trading Post is celebrating the holiday season with a host of fun family events.

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