KENNEBUNK — It was close, but it passed. Charter changes are coming to Kennebunk, one of which will have a direct effect on the appointment process for the town clerk.

By a vote of 2,940 to 2,747 ”“ 323 ballots were left blank ”“ Kennebunk citizens approved the charter change, which alters the position of town clerk from an elected one to a town manager appointment.

The current town clerk, Merton Brown, was narrowly elected to the post as a write-in candidate at Kennebunk’s annual Town Meeting in June, unseating former clerk Joanna Moran.

Now, with a positive vote for the charter change, Brown will serve out his full three-year term, at which point the current town manager, Barry Tibbetts, would have the authority to re-appoint him on an annual basis, or hire someone else to fill the position.

Brown himself has backed the charter change. Citing information gleaned from the Maine Municipal Association, Brown said at a meeting in June that of the 34 most highly populated towns in Maine, only York, Kennebunk and Wells have town clerks that are elected by voters. In the cases of York and Wells, he said, those towns’ respective clerks have each been on the job for more than 30 years.

Kennebunk ranks 17th in the state in population, according to the Maine Municipal Association.

At a selectmen’s meeting in June, Tibbetts advocated for the charter change, saying the town clerk appointment “would have more consistency from one year to the next” and “provide some stability.”

If not outright opposed to the idea, some residents expressed reservations when the issue was broached this summer. John Costin, a resident and member of the budget board, said he preferred the board of selectmen have jurisdiction over the town clerk appointment process rather than the town manager, claiming the selectmen make decisions in a more public manner. Resident Rachel Phipps had argued for an open-hiring process.

On Tuesday, though, lingering voter skepticism gave way to a “yes” vote, and an impending change that will take place after Brown’s term ends.

The other charter change approved Tuesday will tweak the timing of the election of selectmen officers; that process will now take place at the board’s first meeting in July, after the annual Town Meeting. That article passed 4,622 to 969, with 419 ballots left blank.

The other referendum item on Kennebunk’s ballot ”“ amendments to the zoning ordinance ”“ passed 3,463 to 1,687, with 860 ballots left blank.

— Staff Writer Jeff Lagasse can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 319 or jlagasse@journaltribune.com.