By Brian Early
bearly@seacoastonline.com

KITTERY, Maine — A town councilor hopes the joint Kittery and Eliot police chief will be rehired as sole Kittery police chief once his contract expires in June.

At Monday’s Town Council meeting, Town Manager Nancy Colbert Puff told the councilors she plans to advertise for the positions of police chief and lieutenant immediately.

Kittery and Eliot have shared Chief Theodore Short since 2013. He announced in September he plans retire at the end of his contract on June 30. After discussion between Eliot and Kittery officials about finding a new joint chief, Eliot’s Board of Selectman announced recently they were going to hire their own chief. Kittery Lt. Russell French’s last day was Thursday. He will become the police chief for Rangeley next month.

Vice Councilor Chuck Denault asked Colbert Puff at the meeting if she had considered approaching Short to see if he would continue to be police chief “now that the monkey has been taken off our back” with sharing the chief with Eliot.

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