No one could ever accuse the good people of Benton of under- considering whether the town should professionalize how it conducts its business.

We know that in the New York Times, the headlines are all about world conflict and the presidential race. But here in central Maine, the headlines run more to "Benton: Committee formed to investigate need for office position."

And if you're some kind of big city snob, we're here to tell you that such issues are important. So important that they can occupy the thoughts and deliberations of one town for months.

Indeed, the professionalization of Benton town management has been a long-simmering issue that erupted last year in the resignation of the veteran first selectman, who quit his long tenure, he said, because "I think I've kind of lost hope in the way the town needs to make decisions."

The proximate cause of the selectman's resignation was whether the town clerk should be appointed or elected; he favored the former, and so did town voters -- until they didn't. Last June, they repealed their earlier vote to make the clerk position an appointed one. Now, Benton town fathers (and just about everybody else) are engaged in a prolonged discussion of whether to hire an administrative assistant.

Evidently, there's big concern around Benton that the earth-shattering repercussions of this move would include the domino effect -- the town's new first selectman, Mark Brown, says the posts of town treasurer, road commissioner and others, as well as the salaries of the three- member Board of Selectmen, could change if an administrative assistant were hired.

Thus, not a move to be taken lightly. And it isn't. First, selectmen discussed forming a committee to consider the move. Then they called a larger meeting last month to discuss forming a committee. Fifteen people attended; that's 15 people interested in a small town's administrative assistant position!

Finally, it was decided to form the committee and names of potential committee members were discussed at a subsequent selectmen's meeting. Don't move too quickly, people of Benton!

Now, the committee is being formed, and their substantial brief issued: Should the position be full- or part- time? What duties would be performed? What kind of pay is in order? What kind of pay changes would that mean for other town employees? The selectmen's chairman will take on the portfolio of foreign minister and conduct a fact-finding mission to other Maine communities that have administrative assistants.

We think it's a good idea that Benton's leaders are being so deliberate about spending taxpayers' money. But we do wonder: How does anything ever get done in Benton? The town may be one of the last holdouts among municipalities of its size to not have a paid administrative assistant, meaning that selectmen must shoulder a huge amount of work. Do they like suffering that much?