The town of Wayne has been without a manager since March after David Giroux resigned.
WILTON – Greg Davis is going to be sitting on the other side of the table when it comes to selectmen’s meetings. He’s looking forward to the new challenges of managing the town of Wayne.
Davis, a journalist for more than two decades, was one of 19 candidates seeking the Wayne town manager position, Wayne selectmen’s Chairwoman Sally Towns said.
Towns said Davis had some really good experience, mostly in journalism but not all, she said Monday.
“We were looking for someone fairly well rounded,” she said.
He has a lot of good contacts, his writing skills are “excellent,” his references are “excellent,” and he has management skills, she said.
Davis has been managing editor of the Rumford Falls Times and The Franklin Journal. He currently is manager of the Livermore Falls Advertiser.
“He really seemed to be up on things,” Towns said.
The town has been without a manager since March after David Giroux resigned.
Davis starts his new job at $30,000 for a minimum of 30 hours a week on July 21.
“I’m interested in the public service sector,” Davis said. He’s also interested in spending more time with his family.
Davis, 44, said covering governmental issues as a reporter for 22 years has given him the insight he needs to manage the town. He said he understands tax incremental financing programs, human relations and land use and environmental issues.
Davis, who has a degree in English from the University of Michigan, said he knows a lot about running governmental meetings and the Right To Know law.
“It’s a good change,” he said. “It’s a supportive environment and family friendly.”
Davis said he loves the town of Wayne.
“It’s kind of like the way Maine should be,” he said.
There are 1,200 year-round residents in the town, Davis said, which swells to three times the size seasonally as people visit their camps.
As a journalist, Davis said his job is to make issues clear to the public, and that’s a big part of a town manager’s job – keeping the public informed.
Towns said some of the issues Davis will be involved in are working with the state and town of Leeds on the dam at the lower end of Androscoggin Lake. He’ll also be keeping in touch with those in charge of milfoil issues. And Towns said Davis will explore writing grants for the town.
Already town managers in the region are welcoming Davis as one of them. Jay Town Manager Ruth Marden lent him a town manager’s manual, which he plans to read.
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