MEXICO — Following an executive session June 18, the Select Board voted 4-0 to offer Jack Gaudet employment as the town manager, effective that day until June 30, 2026, said Select Board Chairperson Richie Philbrick.
Gaudet succeeds Raquel Welch-Day, who recently resigned as town manager after five years. Welch-Day had succeeded Gaudet in 2020, whose first go-round was 3 1/2 years.
Gaudet agreed to a salary of $81,120 with two weeks vacation. He waived any health benefits as he is retired military with his own health coverage.
Gaudet said he decided he’d be interested in becoming town manager again if the opportunity presented itself during the March budget process, which concluded with the town entering a contract with the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office for police coverage.
“I know a lot of the townspeople,” said Gaudet, who was previously the town Emergency Management director and a 10-year member with the Mexico Fire Department as safety officer. “I’ll be meeting with (Rumford Town Manager George) O’Keefe to figure out what’s going on between our two towns. We’ve got to work on our reval. There’s a lot of stuff.”
He added, “I’m just anxious to get some stuff rolling. We’ve got the rec park grant. … I have a whole list of stuff that’s going on. There’s about 18 things that are going on with the town right now.”
Among those things: The town is planning a new fire station, the Meroby Elementary School building will be going back to the town when the new school is completed, and the Select Board has two new members.
Gaudet said the board is going through the process of finding someone to finish the final year of the three-year term that had been served by Tom Hines, whose resignation was accepted on June 17. Nomination forms are available at the Town Office and must be submitted by July 1, 2025.
“We’re just looking to get some of these things done, and hopefully for the town to thrive and prosper, maybe to bring some population back in and some businesses into this area,” he said.
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