Dear Editor:

I want to thank the people of the Boothbay region for the honor and privilege to serve in various municipal capacities and for the last 12 years as the Boothbay Harbor Town Manager. I was fortunate to manage my home town. You have no idea what a gift that is, what pride I took in that responsibility.

I have both personal and professional relationships with residents, tax payers and other municipal officials from all four peninsula towns. Many of those friendships go back to when I went to school here. Thank you to all those people who welcomed me and took me under their wings to guide me through the uncharted territory of town manager.

I will always be proud of the experiences and accomplishments over the close to 20 years serving on the Port Committee, Budget Committee, Board of Selectmen and as Town Manager. I also credit much of the town’s success over the many years to the hard working staff at the Boothbay Harbor town office and to many others within the community.

During my tenure I instituted transparent and balanced fiscal policies, and cost-saving measures that eliminated the town’s debt and put the Harbor in a strong financial position, resulting in stable tax rates that balanced adequate funding of municipal services with minimal burden on tax payers. I also managed the multi-million dollar municipal budget and numerous projects, such as the renovation of the town Fish Pier, an update to the town’s Comprehensive Plan, and coordinating the highly successful Bike Maine event in 2014.

Other accomplishments included transitioning a local call center to Lincoln County Communications, assisting with numerous Community Development Block Grants (CBDG) to help local businesses like the Opera House, helping plan improvements in water and sewer services, and completing significant planning board code ordinance changes. I represented the financial and business needs of the town by participating in the Boothbay/Boothbay Harbor Joint Economic Development Committee, the first ever blending of economic and commerce interests between the peninsula’s towns. Working with the Boothbay Lights Committee, I saw visitors discover Boothbay Harbor during the typical off-season days of November and December into numbers that rival the busiest days of mid-summer.

I wish the town continued success and all the best.

Thomas Woodin

Boothbay Harbor