By Wayne E. Rivet

Staff Writer

HARRISON — Family means a lot to Tim Pellerin, so when the opportunity to take a town manager’s job in southern Maine recently surfaced, which would move him closer to his children and two grand-daughters, he looked into it.

“I’m happy here. I wasn’t looking,” Pellerin said last Friday. “I received an e-mail about this job and asked to interview. I thought about it, and said ‘okay.’ I wasn’t going to be upset if I didn’t get the job because I like the job here and I like the Select Board. I have the best staff I’ve ever had. The staff is the best of the best. It makes the job easy when you have a Super Bowl team. I can’t thank the staff enough and the citizens for their support.”

Pellerin emerged as the leading candidate in South Berwick, and when his terms for hire were accepted on Oct. 26, he agreed to take the job.

“Change is hard, and the decision was not easy, but in the end, I felt for all the positive reasons it was the right choice for me and my family…It is with mixed emotions that I inform you that I have submitted my formal notice of resignation to the Board of Selectmen,” wrote Pellerin in a letter to his staff on Oct. 27. “I have truly enjoyed my time here in Harrison and would like to thank each one of you for your dedication, effort and cooperation in making the Town of Harrison a great success. Harrison is a great community, and the employee staff is the best I have ever worked with. Together, we have made great strides forward with many successes that have benefitted the citizens and community both, all because of each of you.”

Pellerin signed a three-year contract. His resignation is effective Friday, Dec. 10.

“I have enjoyed working for Harrison and with each one of you. Individually, you have each made a difference in the lives of the citizens we serve. I’m glad to have had the opportunity to serve with and beside you and consider you like family,” Pellerin wrote in his letter to staff members. “When I look back and remember my time here, I will think of each one of you and smile, remembering how you impacted my life and I will be grateful that we had the chance to work together…Thank you for everything you did for me, be well, stay safe.”

The South Berwick manager’s job opened when Perry Ellsworth, 71, retired in July after a decade of service. He said it was time for “new ideas” and “a new thought process.” Ironically, Ellsworth served seven years as town manager in Rangeley, Pellerin’s old stomping ground before taking the Harrison job in April 2018. Finance Director and Assistant Town Manager Jennifer Janelle is presently serving as interim manager.

According to the South Berwick website, the departments that report to the town manager include: Planning, Town Clerk, Public Works, Code Enforcement, Police, Fire, Recreation, Social Services, and Library.

Select Board members accepted Pellerin’s resignation with “deep regrets” and “heartfelt appreciation.” They praised his excellent rapport with staff and leading the town through some difficult days due to the pandemic, yet will leave Harrison in sound financial shape.

Randy Gazza, head of Public Works, will serve as interim town manager, with help from Administrative Assistant Cass Newell, until the Select Board starts a search for a new manager, likely late winter or early spring.

“Randy is our most senior supervisor (eight years as a supervisor, 16 years as a town employee) and knows all there is to know about the projects we’re working on. With Randy and Cass working as a team, the town should be okay. If they have a question, I am just a call away,” Pellerin said. “A good manager sets up a system not to revolve around him, but to give others the tools and capability to carry on. They know how to fly the plane. The staff is trained as a team and will continue to operate as a team when I’m gone.”