DRESDEN — Daniel Swain began this week as the town administrator in Dresden after the Select Board decided not to renew the contract of Michael Faass.
Faass started with the town a little more than a year ago, after moving to central Maine from Georgia.
“My contract ran out and they (members of the Select Board) opted not to renew it,” Faass said in a brief interview, declining to comment further.
Selectman John Rzasa confirmed Faass’ contract had not been renewed. Rzasa declined to say more about Faass.
Swain, meantime, said his new position is “working out great.”
Rzasa said he was on the team that hired Swain, and everything he heard about him was positive. Swain, who is to be paid $53,000 in his first year, had the best qualifications for the position, according to Rzasa.
“He hasn’t been with us long,” Rzasa said, “but he understands the small town.”
Swain grew up in Skowhegan and still lives there with his dog, Ellie.
Swain went to the University of Maine at Machias, where he earned a degree in history and public administration. After college, he worked as the town manager in Reed Plantation in Aroostook County, a tax collector in Palermo and, most recently, town manager in Monson, where he spent four years before stepping down earlier this year to “regroup his brain” and “think about what he wanted to do.”
“I was at a point where I wanted to consider, ‘Do I want to do this or take a year off?'” Swain said. “I saw the ad (for Dresden town administrator) and I knew it was a bigger town than what I managed before.”
Swain said he is passionate about small town government, especially finances and being accessible to local residents, and excited to be in a larger role.
When it comes to finances, Swain said, one of his priorities is to make sure the community is getting “the best deal it should.” For example, Swain said, with many people moving from cities to smaller communities, one of his goals is to make sure Dresden residents and their taxes are not impacted negatively by the “influx of new residents.”
As town administrator, Swain said he is in a position to have great accessibility to the public.
“It’s easy for people to walk in here and tell me how they feel,” he said. “It’s one of the things I’m passionate about. When I’m in charge of the town, people will always have a voice. Everyone has to be heard and validated that there is someone out there hearing them.”
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