Gardiner is embarking on a search for a city manager after Andrew R. Carlton, who has held the position for two years and two months, accepted the role of director of special education with the Waterville Public Schools. Carlton’s last day in Gardiner is scheduled to be Aug. 30. Above, Gardiner City Hall in 2022. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal file

GARDINER — Andrew R. Carlton, who was hired as the Gardiner city manager about two years ago, has announced he is leaving the city at the end of the month.

Andrew R. Carlton Submitted photo

In response, Gardiner officials are inviting residents to weigh in on the major issues facing the city in the next five years, and to help define what qualities, education and experience Gardiner’s next city manager should possess.

A meeting has been scheduled for 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 20, at the Gardiner Public Library at 152 Water St. It is to be facilitated by Don Gerrish of the Eaton Peabody Consulting Group, which has been hired to manage the search process.

In the meantime, Denise Brown, the city’s director of finance, has been appointed interim city manager.

“On behalf of the city, I extend our gratitude to Andrew Carlton for his two years of service in Gardiner,” Mayor Patricia Hart said following the announcement of Carlton’s departure. “He leaves the city in a strong position, with a bright future. We wish him all the best.”

Carlton, 44, is taking on the role of special education director for the Waterville Public Schools.

The move brings him back to public education, where he had spent his career, before taking on the city manager’s role. He served five years as superintendent of Regional School Unit 4, which includes Litchfield, Sabattus and Wales. Earlier in his career, he had also served as director of special education in Maine School Administrative District 13, which enrolls students from Bingham and Moscow.

“It’s closer to home,” Carlton said, not long after his new job was announced, noting he has been commuting long distances for 13 years.

Carlton commuted from his home in Fairfield to the RSU 4 office in Wales while he worked there, and to Gardiner for the past two years.

“Waterville’s got a lot going on with connections with the community and Colby,” Carlton said. “I felt really good about where things are in Gardiner, too. It was a very difficult decision to make, given that I love Gardiner so much, but the time I get back with my family is huge.”

During Carlton’s time as the Gardiner city manager, he has overseen the sale of lots at the city-owned Libby Hill Business Park, completion of the reconstruction of McKay Park and recovery from two serious floods of the Kennebec River in 2023.

Hart said Carlton has also built a strong municipal leadership team for the city of 6,100 residents and advocated for investments in city staff members.

His last day with the city is scheduled to be Aug. 30, and he is expected to begin his new job in Waterville on Sept. 9.

This will be the second time this year that the Waterville Public Schools fills that position.

In February, Peter Hallen, superintendent of Waterville Public Schools, announced that Justin Keleher had been hired to fill the director of special education position. On Monday, Hallen said that about a month after Keleher began, Keleher announced he was taking the same position at RSU 4, which was closer to his home in Bowdoin.

The district launched a search to fill the position again, and Hallen said he reached out to Carlton initially to see whom he might recommend for the position.

“It’s one thing to find someone who knows special education and the law,” Hallen said. “It’s another to find someone who can work with people.”

In Gardiner, Carlton was hired on a three-year contract that had been extended through June 5, 2027, and his current salary is $121,900.

In Waterville, where Carlton is expected to oversee special education for students from prekindergarten through high school, his annual salary will be $115,500.

Hart said while the Gardiner City Council understands and supports Carlton’s decision to work closer to where he lives, city officials will miss his wisdom, leadership and can-do approach.

Carlton cited the solid working relationships among the City Council, the city department heads and staff members as one of his key accomplishments. Four contracts were negotiated, he said, and they went well. And, he said, city staff members did a lot of good work responding to community needs as a team.

“I want to thank the council and the staff and the residents of Gardiner for welcoming me and for the working relationships we developed to make the city a pretty amazing place to work and live,” Carlton said.