A month after there were no takers for a spot on Damariscotta's budget committee, the board had a new problem:

Too many candidates.

On Wednesday, July 2 the Damariscotta board of selectmen met for the first time since the June town meeting and proceeded to fill empty spots on committees and boards.

Everything was going fine until the open spot on the budget committee came before the board. When the position was offered a month ago there weren't enough takers, leaving the board open to new candidates.

On Wednesday two names came forward: former selectman Mark Hagar, and Shari Sage, who currently represents Damariscotta on several boards and committees.

Current selectman Jim Cosgrove said his preference was for Hagar to take the spot, because Sage is on other important committees and boards, including the Waterfront Committee.

“The Waterfront Committee should be the preeminent committee,” Cosgrove said. “I think the focus needs to remain on that committee, and not have cross-pollination across the other boards.”

Later in the meeting the board would accept Cosgrove's resignation from the Waterfront Committee for that very reason.

“When I took this position, I resigned from my spot on the Waterfront Committee,” he said.

Selectman David Atwater wondered if the number of both board members and alternates could be expanded from nine full-time members and two alternates, but such a motion would have required changing the charter, so the idea was quickly scrapped.

Because there were meetings when the budget committee couldn't field enough members for a quorum it would make sense to have extra members, Atwater said.

In the end, no other member seconded a motion for Hagar, and Sage was selected, 5-0, with all selectmen voting in favor of the appointment.