WEST PARIS — During a ceremony at the 2015 annual Town Meeting to honor Wade Rainey for his long service as selectman, moderator Vern Maxfield said the town would keep his phone number close by in case they needed help.

A year later, his phone rang.

Then Town Manager John White was retiring for health reasons, and West Paris needed a temporary replacement. Rainey ended his brief retirement and the town soon dropped the “interim” tag from his town manager title.

After leading the town for the past five years, Rainey will once again attempt to retire. The longtime town official who has served West Paris in many roles for more than 30 years announced late last month that he will step down when his contract expires April 2, 2021.

Besides his five-year tenure as town manager, Rainey served as a selectman for 24 years, with voters electing him for eight, three-year terms. He also previously spent 1½ years on the Planning Board. His West Paris resume includes stops as the code enforcement officer and the tax assessing agent.

Rainey, a U.S. Navy veteran, has also served on the Oxford County Budget Committee.

In addition to his current duties as town manager, Rainey also fills the positions of town clerk and tax collector.

“The town is in good financial shape with no long-term debt and housing starts increasing,” Rainey wrote in his resignation letter. “I feel this is a good time for me to take some time off  and work part time.”

Town officials will have less than four months to find his successor.

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