In the basement of Warner Town Hall, it was standing room only as the select board convened for their first meeting since two members resigned last month.

As residents filled rows of plastic chairs, Harry Seidel, who was the sole board member following the resignations of Jody Sloane and Christine Frost, opened the meeting with his new counterpart – Faith Minton.

“When I was asked 10 days ago whether I would consider being appointed as an interim select board member for the next eight months until the next town election, I did not think about it. I instinctively said yes,” she said. “That’s what I’ve always done in Warner.”

Minton was confirmed by a Merrimack County Superior Court judge who ruled last week that Sloane and Frost couldn’t rescind their resignations. She is the founder and board president of Kearsarge Children’s Center and a longtime volunteer, who has served on the Kearsarge Regional School Board and the Warner parks and recreation board, among others.

Now, her focus is helping the town over the next eight months, she said.

“My interests right now are serving the community respectfully, with open-mindedness and without any intention other than to help us transition smoothly to get the town’s work done,” she said.

Minton’s work picks up in the wake of town turmoil. The select board has not met since July 12, when debate became acrimonious over the terms of the Warner Connects lease in the community center. The next day, Frost and Sloane both resigned.

However, Sloane and Frost attempted to come back for another meeting and passed a motion to fire Diane Ricciardelli, the town administrator. The vote was later ruled invalid by a judge.

Since last month, the lease has been in limbo, the town has been to court over the select board resignations, and local government briefly came to a halt with the lack of a quorum on the select board.

“This process has been challenging. I’m going to ask for everybody’s help because this is not something I have experience with, but I’m willing to work,” Minton said.

She has her work cut out for her: she’s already received multiple phone calls offering her advice and she’s already been told to resign, she said.

In starting fresh alongside Minton, Seidel reiterated that he wants the town to move forward. The first step in doing so, was to clear the air on confusion with Warner Connects, he said.

Seidel read a letter from the Attorney General’s office that stated the food pantry was in good standing with the state’s charitable trust unit.

After previously saying he would not sign a contract with the pantry at the July 11 select board meeting, Seidel said with clarity that he was no longer opposed.

“This is a very very important piece of information,” he said. “I am just super happy that the Town of Warner has this. Now I think that we can move forward, and we would like to move forward.”

A lease was not signed at the meeting, however, Seidel and Minton agreed to talk to building tenants in the community center – including the Boys and Girls Club, the Community Action Program and GearUp – about the state of the building and their lease agreements.

When public comment opened, Apryl Blood, the vice chair of Warner Connects, walked through the proposed lease with the food pantry step by step. After attending the June 20 meeting with proposed changes but not provided the chance to speak during public comment, this was her first chance to publicly set the record straight, she said.

“I just want to make sure that there’s not any more misinformation being put into the public eye that is inaccurate,” she said.

Concerns with the original lease focused on custodial and maintenance responsibilities. Blood also asked for clarification as to how the town arrived at a per square foot charge for rent, based on building costs.

These details will be discussed between the Warner Connects board and the town select board, Seidel said. Then, the two entities can finalize and sign the lease.

With the first meeting with the new board behind them, Minton and Seidel will now look to appoint a third member.

To do so, the pair has asked interested volunteers to step forward by filling out a form. They will then conduct interviews before announcing their appointment in the coming weeks.

This person will serve in a similar role to Minton – as a temporary member through Town Meeting. Come March, Warner residents will officially elect two new members.

“We’re looking at how you will engage, how will you communicate and listen, and seek to build morale and trust,” she said.

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