LYNDEBOROUGH -- As they prepare themselves for round two in the town's legal battle with former police chief James Basinas, selectmen will be working with a new police administrator. 

Selectmen have contracted with Municipal Resources Inc. to have Michael French, former Goffstown police chief, be the Police Department's temporary part-time administrator. 

According to Town Administrator Neal Cass, French will not be a town employee and had not applied for the position. The town is contracting with MRI for French's services. The town's previous police administrator, Richard Darling, who served in the job after Basinas was fired as police chief, resigned in late January. 

"MRI provided someone with lots of experience," said Cass. "[French] will also be working on the police study and will be in place at the department. It's a way to kill two birds with one stone." 

Currently, a police study committee is working with MRI to determine long-term solutions for running the Police Department. Selectmen formed the committee at the request of a resident at a Special Town Meeting in December when residents voted to eliminate the town's full-time police chief position, held at that time by Basinas. The committee will present its findings to selectmen in June. 

According to Cass, French will be the town's police administrator for at least six months. His first day was Monday, and he will have office hours every Monday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

French joined the Goffstown Police Department in 1973, working his way up to chief in 1999. French has a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice from Saint Anselm College. 

According to selectmen, French will be working on scheduling, setting up standard operating procedures and "getting things straightened up." 

French will meet with the Police Study Committee tonight at 7:30 at Citizens Hall. 

Meanwhile, selectmen are gearing up for the next step in their legal struggle with James Basinas.

In a nonpublic session Tuesday, selectmen reviewed a draft of an answer to Basinas's second petition for reinstatement. The draft was prepared by the town's attorney, Mark Broth. 

Basinas filed his first petition in June after being fired the previous April. In addition to reinstatement, he asked for back pay, benefits and attorney's fees, stating he had been fired without "just cause." Hillsborough County Superior Court Judge James Barry temporarily reinstated Basinas pending a final hearing of the case. 

Selectmen withdrew their answer to Basinas's petition after the special Town Meeting vote in December eliminated his position. 

As a part of the settlement, selectmen agreed to pay $23,500 to Basinas for back pay and $30,000 for his attorney's fee. 

Basinas filed the second petition for reinstatement the day the settlement was signed, stating in the petition that selectmen had fired Basinas without cause after the town's voters rescinded the police chief position. According to the petition, selectmen had a legal duty to refuse to permit the vote because the warrant article violated the law. 

Broth said Wednesday the town intends to deny there was any wrongdoing associated with the calling and conduct of the special Town Meeting. 

"The town's position is that the special Town Meeting was properly convened, properly conducted, and that the actions of the special Town Meeting terminated Basinas's employment relationship with the town," Broth said. 

Broth said the settlement of the first petition only addressed the termination that occurred in April and was not intended to preclude Basinas from pursuing claims resulting from the Special Town Meeting. 

The town's answer is due before the court on May 1.