March 28, 2024
BANGOR DAILY NEWS (BANGOR, MAINE

Treasurer rivals at odds over salary plan

BUCKSPORT — While Hancock County Treasurer Robert F. Lakin was explaining his run-in with Trisha Larrabee of the sheriff’s department, some Bucksport residents continued to wonder whether there was a need for his proposal to increase his own paycheck by more than $18,000.

An Ellsworth Republican appointed to the position by Gov. John R. McKernan to fill the unexpired term of Earl Hanscom who stepped down from the job in February, Lakin is seeking election to the office in the November elections against John Fink, an Ellsworth Democrat.

Under Hanscom, the treasurer’s job was a part-time position supplemented by a full-time deputy treasurer. Lakin proposes to make the job his full-time occupation and would raise the salary allotted to his part-time predecessor from $4,000 to a $22,500. His budget request also included $3,225 for a part-time deputy treasurer.

During a Tuesday evening candidates’ night meeting in Bucksport, Lakin acknowledged that his proposed increase was “gigantic.” But in response to a question posed by Sharyn Davenport, a Bucksport Town Council member, he also urged Bucksport’s voters to look at the position from a historical context.

“In 1989, the salaries for the treasurer and county treasurer were roughly $24,000,” he said. “The following year, the treasurer came in and had his salary decreased because of Social Security benefits and then he decided he wanted to go part-time and his salary was decreased to $4,000.”

Lakin said that when one looks at “the overall picture,” it was clear his suggestion was not such a radical change.

“I want to make this a full-time job and I feel that these are reasonable figures,” he said.

Fink countered that the previous arrangement of part-time treasurer and full-time deputy would continue to work just fine at a lower cost to the taxpayers.

“The work-load of the office has not increased from the past two years,” he said.”In these tough times when all of our tax money has to be stretched to the limit, I do not favor changing the pay scale for the county treasurer. It just does not seem reasonable.”


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