Selectman Brenda Eckstrom, in her last night serving as Selectman Tuesday, indicated that the town has apparently struck a deal with part-time Interim Police Chief Richard Stanley. She said the Board of Selectmen - which will include newly-elected members Ellen Begley and Michael Schneider - would need to approve the agreement.

The remark puzzled Selectman Steve Holmes, who indicated he did not know an agreement had been reached.

As the final results of the election rolled into the Town Clerk's office, Eckstrom, who did not seek re-election to the board, encouraged citizens to tell the new incoming Selectmen to vote to hire Stanley, as there was not a majority vote on the current board.

The Selectmen did not continue the conversation before adjourning.

The apparent sticking point in the year-long negotiations is money, though Eckstrom indicated Tuesday that Andrews had offered a high enough salary for Stanley to accept.

Stanley is slated to make just over $133,000 in North Andover this year. It is unclear what he is asking Wareham to pay or what Wareham offered.

Even Stanley's North Andover salary is considerably above the approximately $109,500 in total compensation paid to former long-time chief Thomas Joyce in Fiscal Year 2007.

Begley and Schneider indicated during their campaigns that they would advocate for Stanley's hiring, with Begley saying: "I would pay the man the money. He's worth his weight in gold."

Stanley told town officials in North Andover, where he serves as full-time chief, that he'd be finished with his work in Wareham by March 31. Town Administrator Mark Andrews said Monday that he was still negotiating a contract with the chief. He said he did not have a timeline for when negotiations might be completed.

Stanley would not comment on the matter and only indicated that any comment would come from the Town Administrator's office.

North Andover Town Manager Mark Rees did not respond to requests for comment.

North Andover Board of Selectmen Chair and police officer Daniel Lanen indicated that he wasn't sure when Stanley would be finished in Wareham, but seemed to think the chief would remain in North Andover.

"I'm not positive on those details," Lanen said. "I don't know if they've appointed the interim chief in Wareham."

Stanley, who has served as interim chief since Thomas Joyce retired in June 2009, originally said he had no intention of seeking the full-time position. But in March 2010, he was presented to the Board of Selectmen as Andrews' choice for the permanent post. He reportedly entered contract negotiations with the intention of leaving North Andover at the end of last summer.

But in November, Stanley reportedly told town officials in North Andover that he would be "transitioning away" from his duties in Wareham. In a February 17 memo to North Andover Town Manager Mark Rees, Stanley indicated that his "last date of employment as Interim Chief of Police in the Town of Wareham is March 31, 2011."

During his time in Wareham, Stanley is credited with helping the police department earn state certification, obtaining a fleet of new police cruisers, revitalizing the department's K-9 Unit, and adding bike and foot patrol officers to the streets during the summer months.