By: Ryan Michaels | The Maine Mirror
September 21, 2026

BERWICK, Maine — The Town of Berwick, responding through its attorney, has declined to answer nine questions from The Maine Mirror concerning the Select Board’s May 2026 approval allowing Police Chief Timothy Towne to remain chief if elected to the Maine House of Representatives.

The questions followed the release of additional public records concerning how Towne’s proposal developed before the Board ultimately approved it unanimously.

(QUESTIONS SENT TO BERWICK SELECT BOARD: Screenshot of The Maine Mirror’s September 21, 2026 correspondence to Chair Charles Laterreur and members of the Berwick Select Board presenting nine follow-up questions concerning the Board’s May 2026 approval of Police Chief Timothy Towne’s proposal to remain chief if elected to the Maine Legislature. The questions address previously documented concerns about Towne’s time away from Berwick, what changed between the Board’s May 5 consideration and May 19 unanimous approval, Towne’s proposed work schedule, compensation, the precise terms approved, potential legal review, and prior discussions involving Rep. Thomas Lavigne.)

The Questions

Among the records cited by The Maine Mirror was an April 15 communication from Town Manager Arthur Capello to Towne.

Capello wrote:

“I will say, from the limited things I have heard, they feel you would be great, but they worry about you doing it while you are the police chief, given the time you would be out of town.”

The record establishes that concerns about the amount of time Towne could be away from Berwick had been communicated to the Town Manager before the proposal reached the Select Board.

Towne subsequently presented a plan under which his legislative responsibilities would generally occur on Tuesdays and Thursdays, while he would remain physically present in Berwick on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

The Board considered the proposal on May 5 and ultimately voted unanimously on May 19 to allow Towne to pursue legislative office while remaining police chief.

The new questions sought to establish what happened between those points.

Among other things, The Maine Mirror asked what resolved the concern about Towne’s time away, what additional information the Board received between May 5 and May 19, what compensation arrangement was approved, precisely what the May 19 vote authorized, and whether the Town or Board obtained a legal opinion concerning the compatibility of simultaneously serving as police chief and a member of the Legislature.

The questions also sought clarification regarding an April 15 memorandum from Towne referencing Rep. Thomas Lavigne and a reported social encounter between Lavigne and two Select Board members concerning Towne’s candidacy and the possibility of remaining police chief.

The inquiry expressly stated that The Maine Mirror was not presuming the arrangement was unlawful or that any Board member acted improperly.

Instead, the purpose was to document how the proposal progressed from expressed concern to unanimous approval.

Berwick Responds Through Its Attorney

At 9:34 a.m. on September 21, Town Attorney Matt Tarasevich responded on Berwick’s behalf.

(BERWICK’S RESPONSE THROUGH TOWN ATTORNEY: Screenshot of a September 21, 2026 email from Town Attorney Matt Tarasevich responding to The Maine Mirror’s questions. Tarasevich states that the Town of Berwick asked his office to respond on its behalf and that the Town believes it has no obligation or legal requirement to answer the questions, demands or inquiries presented. The email concludes that the Town therefore declines to do so.)

Tarasevich wrote:

“The town of Berwick has asked that we respond on its behalf. Please be advised that the town is under no obligation or legal requirement to respond to your questions, demands or inquiries, and therefore declines to do so.”

No substantive answers to the nine questions were provided.

What the Response Does — and Does Not — Establish

The distinction between questions posed to public officials and requests for existing public records is important.

Maine’s Freedom of Access Act provides mechanisms for obtaining qualifying public records, but an ordinary press inquiry asking officials to explain a decision is different from a request to inspect or obtain an existing government record.

Accordingly, The Maine Mirror is not reporting that Berwick’s refusal to answer these questions itself constitutes a violation of Maine’s public-records law.

Nor does the Town’s decision not to answer establish that the underlying arrangement was improper.

What the response does establish is considerably narrower: Berwick was presented with nine specific questions seeking clarification about the documented progression leading to the May 19 vote, and the Town, responding through its attorney, declined to answer them.

The Records Can Still Answer Questions

Several of the unanswered questions concern matters that may potentially be documented in existing municipal records.

Those include communications occurring between May 5 and May 19, documents concerning the terms of Towne’s proposed arrangement, records concerning compensation or leave, and records documenting how concerns identified before the vote were addressed.

Whether such records exist, and whether any responsive records are subject to disclosure, are separate questions from whether Town officials voluntarily answer a press inquiry.

That distinction will guide the next phase of The Maine Mirror’s reporting.

The Questions Remain Open

The Town has now made its position clear: it will not answer the nine questions presented by The Maine Mirror.

That decision will be reported as precisely what it is.

It does not prove why the Town declined to answer. It does not establish wrongdoing. And it does not resolve the questions raised by the underlying records.

It means those questions remain unanswered.

The Maine Mirror will continue pursuing the documentary record, providing the individuals involved opportunities to respond, and reporting additional evidence as it becomes available.

This is a developing story.