Readfield Town Manager Stefan Pakulski will be out of that job after Feb. 6.

The town Select Board voted 5-0 on Monday to accept his resignation, two weeks after the board rejected it 3-2.

“We all wished him well in his new endeavors, and we agreed to work together through the transition,” Select Board Chairwoman Sue Reay said Tuesday.

She said Pakulski’s resignation was revisited briefly during the public portion of the board’s regular meeting Monday night, and the vote followed an executive session.

She said P. Greg Durgin made the motion to accept the resignation, and Valarie Pomerleau seconded it. Durgin, Reay and Thomas Dunham previously had voted against accepting it.

Pakulski, 56, of Wayne, who has been Readfield’s town manager since November 2003, submitted his resignation letter Jan. 12, citing “personal reasons” for his departure.

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Under the terms of his contract, Pakulski’s benefits and pay will continue for the next six months, Reay said. Pakulski’s 18-month contract runs through July 30, and he earned $63,386 the first year.

His letter says, “My resignation is being tendered with the understanding that my salary and benefits shall continue through July 30, 2015, in accordance with my discussion with the board regarding the terms of my contract. …”

Reay said the board intends to meet on Monday to discuss how to move forward to seek a new manager and how to manage the town during the transition.

Pakulski’s tenure had been a rocky one recently, and the board had held a series of executive sessions recently to discuss personnel issues. Pakulski is the only employee hired by the board; he handles personnel issues involving other town employees.

A year ago, Select Board members renewed his contract by a 3-1 vote despite the receipt of an “opinion survey” with signatures of 153 people who didn’t want the contract approved.

On Tuesday, Pakulski talked about his work in Readfield and his plans.

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“It’s a terrific place with terrific people with a great past and great future in front of it, and I was lucky to be a part of that for more than a decade,” Pakulski said. He praised the town employees as “talented, dedicated professionals” and said volunteers in the town made the work of the manager much easier.

“I leave the town in a strong position,” he said. “The finances and infrastructure are in great shape. They’ve got the resources to build on and keep moving forward.”

In his resignation letter, Pakulski thanked the current board and all previous boards that he served.

“I regard Readfield very highly, and it has been a very special place for me to work for many years,” he wrote. “I know that I have grown immeasurably through the experience, and I hope that I have given similar value to the community through my service.”

Pakulski said he plans to finish some economic and community development projects that he has been working on in his free time.

Pakulski previously worked in international economic development.

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He was a Peace Corps volunteer in Fiji before attending graduate school in development management. Then he became regional representative for a Washington, D.C.,-based group, working in Manila, Philippines; in Jakarta, Indonesia; and on agricultural development projects throughout Southeast Asia, the Middle East and South Pacific. Later he worked in policy analysis and change promotion.

Pakulski returned to the United States to lead the community initiatives department of Maine’s Island Institute and created the Island Fellows program, which still exists.

Betty Adams — 621-5631

badams@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @betadams


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