HALLOWELL — City Manager Gary Lamb will resign effective June 6 after almost four years in the position, he announced to City Council members Saturday.
In a letter to city leadership, Lamb, 70, said he has thoroughly enjoyed his time working for the city, but that he wanted to spend more time with family — and less than 50 hours on his work each week. Lamb informed city leadership of his resignation at the end of a council work session Saturday.
“I have enjoyed the challenge of working here but my wife, sons, grandchildren, fly rod and kayak all need more of my time this coming summer,” Lamb wrote. “I have met with and worked with some wonderful people over the last four years and I will miss them terribly. However, it is time I move on to new adventures, perhaps outside of municipal work and after a summer off.”
Before coming to Hallowell in 2021 after a competitive application process, Lamb had spent time as the town administrator in Waterboro and as Greenville’s town manager.
Lamb’s past 13 months as city manager have been busy: Hallowell suffered from major flooding in December 2023, then city leadership was embroiled in a monthslong budget saga after residents petitioned the city to reduce a 20% tax increase in August.
One of the line items cut when the council reopened the budget process was a new administrative assistant position, which Lamb said would have taken much of the workload off his plate. But he said it is unlikely he will be able to add that position back into the budget this year.
Lamb said he hopes to complete the next budget by May 1, more than a month before his resignation becomes effective.
“I have to create a much smaller budget from day one here,” Lamb said. “It was a whole mixture of things, mostly personal, but some on the actual job. It wears on you, and 50 hours a week is a lot. There’s a lot of things you don’t get to do.”
Lamb said he would be happy to work with an incoming interim or permanent city manager in a transitional period of the City Council’s choosing. No details were immediately available about the search for a new manager.
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