In the three years Jim Chaousis has managed the town of Boothbay, he said he is proud of what's been accomplished, but there is still a lot of work to be done.

On July 24, the Boothbay Board of Selectmen voted 4-1 to renew Chaousis' contract for three more years, and gave the town manager a 6 percent raise to $72,000 per year.

When the selectmen hired Chaousis in 2010, he was 33 years old and had just resigned from his two-year tenure managing the town of Livermore Falls. His starting salary in Boothbay was $60,000. Before his recent reappointment, Chaousis was making $68,000 per year.

Now in his fifth year in public administration, Chaousis said he still considers himself a rookie.

“I came into a town with a more sophisticated government than the last one. I expected administration to be mostly in place, and I came to find out that there was a lot of work to do, and we've done a lot,” Chaousis said.

Up until a few months ago, Boothbay Selectman Chuck Cunningham said he felt Chaousis had fulfilled his duties as town manager, but Cunningham has recently been critical of Chaousis’ job performance.

“I had people talking with me and sharing their concerns. I'd like to think I do my homework and watch things, but there's been some things that have been going on that I didn't particularly like, and it's coming out of the town manager's seat,” Cunningham said.

Cunningham has been a selectman since 2006, and was the only selectman opposed to renewing Chaousis’ contract.

“I expect a lot out of my town manager. I expect a little more than I've been seeing and hearing,” Cunningham said.

Cunningham did not disclose any specific details about two private conversations he had with Chaousis recently.  

“I would say that a lot of it dealt with personnel issues with (Chaousis) and not other personnel within the town,” Cunningham said. “But if I don't see some changes within the next year, you can trust that I'll be more vocal.”

Chaousis acknowledged Cunningham’s issues and said they were not personal, but business related and that he has maintained a civil relationship with the selectmen throughout his tenure.

“I've enjoyed working with Chuck for three years that I have been here. I know he is in a pinch on a few issues, and I still respect that,” Chaousis said.   

Cunningham, who also publicly opposed the previous town manager John Anderson, said it’s the duty of selectmen to voice their concerns because they represent everybody in the town of Boothbay.

“I've heard from people who don't think (Chaousis) is doing a good job, I've heard from people that think he's doing a good job,” Cunningham said.

Some of the bigger accomplishments from Chaousis’ first term include the installation of a capital improvement plan, the reformatting of the town budget process and an overhaul of bookkeeping at the Boothbay town office.

“I have a lot of pride in a lot of the work that I've done in the last three years, but I think it's gotten us back to where we're supposed to be, and I think we can do much better,” Chaousis said.

But Chaousis also said that public opposition also comes with the territory, and like many jobs, town management has its ups and downs.

“I think people receive me positively, and the people that don't, I think they probably don't receive the politics at our local level positively, which is fair enough,” Chaousis said.

Cunningham said Chaousis was receptive to his concerns but after he left the town manager’s office, said, “We'll see if he really is or not.”