WINDHAM — The town finally has a full-time town manager.
Tibbetts
The Town Council Tuesday hired Barry Tibbetts, who has been serving in an interim manager role since December when he took over for the previous interim town manager, Don Gerrish.
The council voted unanimously to approve a full-time contract for Tibbetts. He will be paid $125,000 a year. His contract does not have an end date, but includes a provision that he must provide the council with a six-month notice.
“He’s a great asset and he’s a great guy,” Chairman Jarrod Maxfield said Wednesday. “(This is) just another positive step in moving Windham forward.”
The town’s last full-time manager, Tony Plante, left in October 2018 with a $175,000 severance package after concerns over his job performance caused turmoil on the council. Plante had served as the town manager since 1996.
The council had no luck finding a permanent replacement: in three hiring rounds, either the council determined there was no suitable candidate or their top choice turned down the council’s offer in favor of working for another town or city.
Tibbetts could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
“I’ve had some nice interactions with the public. I think the receptivity has been very good, and I’ve enjoyed working with the staff, the council and the residents,” he told said in an interview with the Lakes Region Weekly last month.
Tibbetts comes on board as a permanent member of a staff facing a number of challenges in town, including public concerns about over-development and an ongoing discussion over an adult use marijuana ordinance. In last November’s municipal elections, three new council members were elected, two of whom unseated incumbents. Councilor Rebecca Cummings abruptly resigned from the council in February in protest of the move to approve recreational retail locations.
While Tibbetts said he’s “never seen anything like that,” he said he comes to Windham with 25 years of municipal experience, 19 of which he spent as the town manager of Kennebunk, and said he’s up for the job.
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