They just don’t make ‘em like Roger Timmons.

Walk around Windham Town Hall and ask anyone, and that’s the answer you’ll get about Code Enforcement Officer Roger Timmons, the first and only person to hold that position in town.

He began as a part-time employee in 1973, went full-time a year later, and over the years, inspected just about every nook and cranny in Windham, from the soil to the buildings.

Timmons, born and bred in the town he served for more than three decades, is set to retire in early May. Often brought in to discuss town history at Town Council meetings, even when it didn’t pertain to code enforcement matters, Timmons became an encyclopedia of knowledge for the oft-changing board membership and town staff, and that aspect, as well as his easy-going attitude, will be missed by many who worked with him.

The Lakes Region Weekly sat down with Timmons on Monday morning as he started another busy week in the Windham planning office to ask him to reflect on his time with the town.

Q: When is your last day?

A: May 7.

Q: When was your first day?

A: I started part-time in April 1973 and full-time July 1, 1974.

Q: What was that first day like?

A: Well, it wasn’t too bad because I’d had a year to find out more about the job. And back in 1972, for example, we had 142 houses built here, so we had a lot happening even back in those days.

The only difference between when I first started and today, we didn’t have any of the regulations really. Shoreland zoning didn’t come in until 1974. We had a building code, and just a few little codes.

Q: How were you hired?

A: In 1973, they had a position that was filled through a grant and an engineer worked here for a year. He left, and Stanley Hall, who was one of our selectmen who went on to become our representative (in Augusta), he called and said we need some help. So that’s how I got involved. I applied in 1974 for the full-time position and I was hired.

Q: You come from a long line of public servants. Tell us about your family.

A: My mother, Bernice Timmons, she taught a lot of the people living here in town. She taught the sixth grade for over 30 years. My father worked for public works for over 20 years. And I’ve worked for 36 years.

Q: Do you feel like you helped build Windham?

A: Dad always called it, add a little bit of salt. In other words, I’ve always said, I don’t always like all the regulations that we have to deal with. But in creating them, I can say I had my input. I had my say. And you don’t always get your way, but at least I had my say.

Q: What’s the difference in your job now, compared to when you started?

A: I think the biggest change is that in 1974, when I was hired full-time, we had a building code, we had a mineral extraction ordinance, but basically no other codes. So I’ve grown in this position. As changes occurred, I grew with them. I think that’s the advantage having been a part of the creation of those and understanding what they are. And today, it’s just too many regulations. Too many, to be honest with you.

Q: How many?

A: I could give you a book full. You wouldn’t believe it. You wouldn’t believe all the regulations we have to deal with. It’s mind-boggling. In my annual report, I always say it’s mind-boggling.

Q: Have you ever enforced a code you didn’t agree with?

A: Oh yeah, you have to do that. You have to be fair. I don’t think anyone would have lasted in this position if they didn’t treat people fairly. And yes, there are lots of codes that I don’t always agree with personally, but you can’t let that get in the way of enforcing things, as long as you’re fair with people.

Q: What do you mean, being fair with people?

A: In other words, if a person has a problem, talk with them about it, and get them to understand why you’re there to deal with the problem. And get people to work with you. Give them time, don’t jam them or rush them. Because if you ever get to court, I learned right off quick years ago that the judge will always give people time, so if you give them the time and you have to go to court, the judge would take that into consideration.

I think helping people understand the regulations and working with people. And, in fact, that’s what I’m going to miss the most because I enjoy working with the general public. And I’ll miss all the people in town hall I work with. I’ll definitely miss them.

Q: How was the public to work with?

A: I’ve always felt the public’s been great. You always have your few, like anything else, that won’t work with you, so that’s when they go to their attorneys. But 99 percent of our citizens are great people to work with, and I have high respect for them, our town.

By the way, I was born here, my mom and dad were born here. If you can work with the people you grew up with, I think that’s a big difference. In other words, you don’t enforce something on someone and then leave town. I think that’s key.

Q: Yours can be a stressful job. Did you ever think you’d make it 36 years?

A: No. My father actually told me never to get mixed up with the town. He says, ‘Roger, never get mixed up with the town.’ And of course, Stanley Hall hauled my cattle years ago when I was in 4-H with his son George Hall, who owns Hall Implement. Stanley was always really good to me, so I couldn’t turn him down when he said the town needed help. So I answered the call, and I’ve been here ever since.

Q: What are you going to miss most?

A: Just seeing the people, and dealing with the people, and riding through our town. I’m going to miss that, working with the people. I also enjoy getting out on the job sites, working with people because my background is in contracting, building and excavating. I still hold a soils evaluator’s license.

Q: What are you going to do in retirement? Got any nice plans?

A: Oh my gosh. I know the first thing people are going to say is that my wife’s got a honey-do list, but my son said tell mother you’ve got a list for her. But no, I enjoy farming. I enjoy getting my wood. I enjoy fishing and hunting. I will be around, and I want people to know in the town, that if I can ever be of any help to anybody, that I would do that. I’m not leaving my town.

Q: Why retire now?

A: This year is going to be a real hard year for budget cuts in town. In the last few years, we’ve cut everything but jobs. But I’ll be 70 this summer, and I had to retire sometime. And I couldn’t see myself going through the budget process having one of my code officers lose their job, and then me retire. So I figured it was time for me to retire.

In retiring, because I have all my certifications, and the town has invested a lot in me over the years, I have current certification and it’s good through 2013 and five years beyond that, I’ll be staying on as a reserve inspector if for some reason there are no inspectors in this town, they can call on me.

And I’ll be staying on the state manufactured housing board, which I’ve chaired since 1990. And the governor just reappointed me, so I’ll be staying on that as well. I think that’s a critical position. We regulate all of the parks, the manufacturers, the installers, and the dealers in the state.

Windham Code Enforcement Officer Roger Timmons, who will retire May 7, stands with Windham tax map book in the code enforcement office on the third floor of the Windham town offices building. Timmons has worked with the town for nearly 37 years and will be sorely missed for his detailed knowledge of the town. (Staff photo by John Balentine)
Roger Timmons in Windham’s 1976 Annual Report.