LONG ISLAND — The town’s three selectmen will soon have some hired help to manage island business.

Island residents voted 74-17 at the annual Town Meeting on May 9 to hire a part-time town administrator. A new selectman and a new school board member were also elected.

The town administrator will work 12 hours a week – the same hours that the town office is open – and primarily aid the Board of Selectmen, board Chairman Michael Floyd said.

“It took some time to get that done,” Floyd said. “Some people didn’t like the idea of more government, I guess.”

But, he said, selectmen have an increasing workload running the island and the administrator will not only be able to ease that, but will also be a representative of the board at the town office.

“Usually, the selectmen are only there a couple hours a week,” Floyd said, adding that he hopes the island will be able to find someone willing to take on the job, which will pay $12,480 a year.

Many other small towns in Maine have administrative help, he noted. He said selectmen went with a town administrator rather than a town manager because there are state laws governing the town manager form of government that would have required several other changes, whereas selectmen can decide what the administrator’s job will be.

Long Island seceded from Portland in 1993. The year-round population is about 175. 

Voters on Saturday also elected Tommy Hohn to the Board of Selectmen. Hohn will replace Floyd when the chairman’s term ends on July 12. Amy Tierney was elected to the School Committee.

Residents also approved a new Comprehensive Plan.

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