RANGELEY – On Aug. 31, Town Manager Perry Ellsworth was surprised to find his wife, daughter-in-law and Rangeley’s 2004 Board of Selectmen at a meeting of the Maine Town and City Management Association.
Unbeknownst to him, they had all come to see him receive the association’s Rookie of the Year Award, given annually to a town manager with five years or less experience who has done, “a particularly good job in a community,” according to the association’s Web site.
Ellsworth was hired as town manager in May 2004 and nominated for the award by then-chairman of the Board of Selectman, Mark Beauregard.
Ellsworth was nominated little more than one year after the town’s previous manager, William Lundrigan, resigned in December 2003.
Beauregard said he asked the Board of Selectmen to nominate Ellsworth because, “Perry brought a lot of energy and commitment to the town.” He said Ellsworth “treats everyone fairly” and doesn’t listen to rumors, but draws his own conclusions and “gives everyone a chance to succeed.” He said selectmen immediately agreed to nominate Ellsworth.
The Rookie of the Year Award was given to Ellsworth by Oakland Town Manager Steve Dyer on Aug. 31 during the Maine Town and City Managers Conference at Sebago Resort. He said he was chosen out of approximately 30 eligible town managers. Ellsworth said he is, “quite pleased, actually.” It “felt good to be recognized for my first year of work as town manager,” he said.
He attributed much of his success to the people of Rangeley and to his staff and said he plans to “celebrate this award as a team.”
“I feel fortunate to be working in a town like Rangeley,” he said. “I’ve had good support” from the people in the community and would not have been able to accomplish anything without the support of the selectmen and a terrific staff and crew members.
Ellsworth said he was surprised when he learned he had won the award. Although he knew he had been nominated, he said he “didn’t even really know (he) was in the running.”
He received a plaque commending him for his work and said one of the nicest aspects of the evening was being able to sit at a table with his wife, Sue, daughter-in-law Melonie Ross, and Selectmen Beauregard, Jim Stone and Don Nuttall.
“It was a wonderful surprise,” he said.
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