Five days after the Board of Selectmen voted 3-1 to appoint Selectman John A. Hurd to complete the last year of her term,Town Clerk Corinne M. Rainville has decided not to retire until April 2011,

Hurd was chosen Feb. 26 over five candidates, including Assistant Town Clerk Stephanie Lucarelli -- a vote that set off a firestorm of charges, including cronyism, as well as criticism of Town Counsel Juliana Rice.

Then, unexpectedly, Rainville, who had not said Jan. 21 why she was retiring a year early, sent the following letter to the selectmen on Tuesday, March 2:

"Please be advised that upon further consultation with my retirement representative I have determined that it is to my advantage to rescind my notification of intent to retire dated January 21, 2010. I will be serving out the remainder of my term."

Those 42 words reversed the course of events, which were leading toward Hurd leaving the board he had served since 1997 and becoming interim clerk for a year until the position would again be up for reelection.

So what happened? Rainville knows, but she was was unavailable March 3 to explain further why she decided in January to retire -- or what changed her mind this week.

A statement sent to The Advocate at 3:41 p.m. Tuesday concluded: "No further comments will be given."

Apparently so. Calls made to Rainville's office and to her home Wednesday, March 3, were not returned.

At 3:30 p.m. that day, a person in the clerk's office said Rainville had been there that but had left.

Selectmen Chairman Kevin Greeley and Hurd did not respond to requests for comment.

Meanwhile, two complaints filed with the state Ethic Commission are expected to proceed.

A. Michael Ruderman, a Precinct 9 Town Meeting member who filed a complaint Feb. 8 with the agemcy. noted in an e-mail March 3:

"I don't know if it's possible for a complainant to stop an Ethics Commission investigation. I will not ask for a halt.

"The cause of my complaint was the Board of Selectmen's accepting Mr. Hurd's application for appointment as interim town clerk, upon (what I aver was the erroneous) advice of Ms. Rice. Ms. Rainville's decision to rescind her resignation does not change those facts."

Steve Moniak of Arlington filed a second complaint agency March 1.

In an attempt to find out why selectmen voted as they did to appoint Hurd, all were asked for their views about a series of questions. To date, Annie LaCourt and Hurd have provided answers, which were published. Clarissa Rowe, Diane Mahon and Greeley have not provided answers. Greeley and Mahon did respond to questions from a Globe reporter.

So when Town Meeting convenes Monday, April 26, members at Town Hall can expect to see Ms. Rainville, clerk since 1994, on the stage at Robbins Memorial Town Hall quietly assisting Moderator John Leone.

Timeline: A brief storm of controversy

Feb. 26: 3-1 vote names Selectman Hurd interim town clerk

Feb. 28: Hurd tells why he should be interim clerk; responses from three selectmen awaited