PARIS – Town Manager Steve McAllister announced Monday he will be leaving his post to run a convenience store and restaurant.

McAllister made his intentions known during a surprise executive session that was not included on the Board of Selectmen’s agenda.

According to Chairman Bill Merrill, the board “accepted his resignation with regrets” after coming out of the executive session.

Merrill said McAllister’s last day on the payroll will be Nov. 11.

“I purchased a restaurant-convenience store combination in Waterford so I’m going to open that up,” McAllister said when reached in his office Tuesday.

The business, he said, is on Route 118 in Waterford, and was formerly known as Lou’s Restaurant.

“I’ve been working on the project in my spare time for about a month,” McAllister said, adding that he once helped to manage a convenience store owned by the parents of his first wife, and he worked for an uncle who once owned the original Country Way restaurant on Main Street.

McAllister said he’s most looking forward to “serving the customers on the restaurant side” of his new business, which he hopes to have up and running in a month.

McAllister was hired by the town of Paris six years ago Tuesday. He had no government experience, but had served in the military and as a part-time officer with the Paris Police Department.

Selectmen had varied reactions to the news of his departure.

“It’s not a surprise to me, given the attitude of some of the board members,” Bruce Hanson said. Some members were difficult for the town manager to work with, Hanson suggested.

He declined to comment on which board members he was referring to, saying only, “They know who they are.”

Barbara Payne said she was surprised because the executive session in which McAllister announced his resignation was not included on agenda.

“I think a good portion of our executive sessions have been sprung on us at the last minute,” she said.

Payne said she had “not had any personal issues with Mr. McAllister whatsoever,” and felt he was well treated by board members.

Gerald Kilgore declined to comment on McAllister’s resignation, but said he feels confident the town will be able to survive the interim period before a new manager is hired.

“We’ve had managers come and go,” he said. “Everybody can be replaced.”

Merrill said he is sad to see McAllister go because he’s been a great person to work with and has helped the town with everything from grants to cutting roadside trees to implementing a maintenance schedule to improve local roads.

“He was just always there to help,” Merrill said.

Raymond Glover could not be reached for comment.

McAllister, who lives in Oxford, said he may get back into politics one day.

“There’s always a chance I could run for selectman or the Legislature,” he said, but noted that his time will be scarce for a while as he re-enters the private sector.