AUGUSTA — Selectperson Paul Burgess of Wales received the 2023 Ethel N. Kelley Award during the Maine Municipal Association’s 87th Annual Convention on Oct. 4.
The award, created in 1986, was named for Ethel Kelley, who dedicated 45 years to the association.
Paul Burgess, who has 48 years of service, began his career in 1976 as a member of the Wales Planning Board and a year later won a seat on the Board of Selectmen. He has served his community as a firefighter since 1975.
He is credited with holding the community together, during the tough times, with particular focus on the role he played during the school consolidation process. Burgess is also revered for his commitment to local government service, which includes participation in town meetings and support for the community’s youth through his attendance at sporting events and school board meetings and support for art programs, according to a association news release.
When he retired from the public sector in 2011, Burgess joined the Public Works Department. Often referred to as “The Mayor,” “he is a timeless public servant who still runs circles around the younger members of the Public Works Department,” state Rep. Randy Greenwood of Wales said. “Paul is always striving to do the best he can for the town and its people and because of his selflessness, Wales is a better place.”
Send questions/comments to the editors.
