WILTON — At the meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 7, the Wilton Board of Selectpersons offered the position of town manager to Maria Greeley, a former treasurer for the towns of Somerville and Union, who accepted. With her first official meeting slated for Tuesday, Nov. 21, that makes the previous meeting Perry Ellsworth’s final meeting in the role.
Perry Ellsworth, the former town manager of Rangeley and South Berwick, began his tenure as Wilton’s town manager in August 2022. Submitted photo
Ellsworth’s last day in the role of town manager was Monday, Nov. 13.
A resident of Strong for 35 years, Ellsworth brought a wealth of experience to Wilton when he was hired as town manager in June of 2022 with his first day on the job that August. Prior to coming to Wilton, he served as town manager for the towns of Rangeley for seven years and South Berwick for a decade. He also served as a selectperson for Strong for seven years, holding the chairman position for six of those years.
When he joined Rangeley, he commented that there was a lot of turmoil and high turnover among the municipal staff. In his time there he worked tirelessly with selectmen and others to improve the town’s sewers, airport, library and roadwork as well.
As he grew in the role, Ellsworth maintained a strong open-door policy, inviting any and all community members to make their voices heard to the leaders of their community.
“I think it’s important that the selectmen work with the community,” he told The Franklin Journal last year. “I think that the social aspect of being out and talking with residents and taxpayers is very, very important.”
After serving as the longest standing town manager in Rangeley, Ellsworth moved into a similar role in South Berwick, where he would remain in the role for 10 years until his retirement in June of 2021, outlasting every town manager before him in the town.
One of his biggest accomplishments with the town of South Berwick was establishing a town library after 20 years of attempts to get one built, when St. Michael’s Church was purchased by the town and converted it into a library for the community.
Outside of town government, Ellsworth has also worked with the Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments and the Maine Land Use Planning Commission, served as president of the Southern Maine Planning Commission Division and the Maine Town and City Managers Association and is the senior advisor for Maine’s International City/County Management Association.
Ellsworth retired from the town manager role in 2021, but soon found himself missing the action of town government. When close friend and fellow town manager Rhonda Irish announced her retirement from the town of Wilton, Ellsworth saw it as an opportunity to have one last go as town manager.
Wilton Town Manager Perry Ellsworth, seen here speaking at the annual town meeting in June of 2023 will formally leave his position on Monday, Nov. 13. Maria Greeley will take his place. Franklin Journal File Photo
For Wilton, Ellsworth saw a lot of potential in the town, especially in the downtown area, Wilson Lake and Kineowatha Park. Upon joining the town, Ellsworth inundated himself in the water transmission line project, a project that would not only update the current pipes, but also reroute the network of pipes to allow them to be more available for future customers, decrease insurance costs for property/homeowners along the rerouted line, and provide easier access for repairs.
Ellsworth also began working with Matrix Design Groups to seek grant funding from the Maine Connectivity Authority [MCA] to bring affordable broadband internet to the community, providing more infrastructure to the town.
When leaving South Berwick, Ellsworth stated he believed the future of town government was in the younger generations, stating he felt “it’s time for new ideas and then a new thought process.”
His ultimate goal with Wilton was to prepare the town for a new era and allow younger generations to take their place as leaders in the town. “People who are becoming a town manager, it’s the new generation with new people,” he said.
Ellsworth announced his resignation in July, and worked with the Select Board and the hiring committee to find his replacement. Ellsworth stated vehemently that he would not vacate the position until a replacement was found. After several months of searching, Maria Greeley was selected for the role.
“You made the right choice,” Ellsworth told the Select Board. “She’s open to learning and open to discussion.”
“I want to say thank you to the Town of Wilton,” he stated. Several Select Board members, including David Leavitt, Vice-Chair Mike Wells, and Chairperson Tiffany Maiuri, thanked Ellsworth for his service.
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