Budget Crunch Hitting Tribe Passamaquoddy Fire Chief Among 25 Employees to Lose Jobs in Recent Months

Summary

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PLEASANT POINT - Veteran Fire Chief Maxwell "Chick" Barnes became the latest casualty of a deepening financial crisis on the Passamaquoddy reservation when he was laid off Tuesday.

Barnes, 70, is one of 25 reservation employees paid with tribal funds who have been laid off in recent months, tribal officials confirmed Thursday. The tribal office once employed 100 workers.

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Budget Crunch Hitting Tribe Passamaquoddy Fire Chief Among 25 Employees to Lose Jobs in Recent Months

Barnes said he started the Fire Department 35 years ago with a water hose and a pickup truck and built it into an organization with firetrucks and volunteer firefighters.

Barnes said Thursday that he is disappointed and believes the layoff may have been related to his age and physical disability. Tribal officials reiterated Thursday that the layoff was due to money issues.

Public Safety Director...

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