CARIBOU, Maine — During their last meeting of the year, Caribou city councilors recognized outgoing councilor Doug Morrell.
City Mayor Jody Smith presented Morrell with an engraved name plaque and clock that recognized his three-year term with the council. Morrell chose not to seek reelection in November.
“We’ve had a lot of differences in opinion over the years, but it has always been in the interest of the taxpayers,” Smith said.
City Manager Penny Thompson read a letter sent anonymously by a Caribou citizen that thanked Morrell for his outspoken personality and compared him favorably to former U.S. president Donald Trump.
“Like it or not, they both speak their minds while continuing to fight uphill battles, unhindered by the yapping chihuahuas nipping at their heels,” Thompson said, while reading the letter.
Councilor John Morrill also offered parting words to Morrell, while joking on the sometimes confusing similarity of their last names.
“Thank you for allowing me to sit next to you this past year,” Morrill said. “As a young councilor, I always valued your opinions and took everything you said to heart. I hope that if I need your advice in the future, your door will always be open.”
Morrell thanked his colleagues and community members and wished good luck to incoming councilor Dan Bagley, who was elected along with Councilor Joan Theriault in November.
“I appreciate the kind words,” Morrell said. “And I wish Dan all the luck in the world.”
Bagley and Theriault will be sworn in during the city council’s organizational meeting at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 3, in the council chambers, 25 High St.
During that meeting, councilors will also appoint community members to city boards and committees and set the council’s regular meeting schedule for 2023.
