After employing three town managers in as many years, the town Norway has named Jill Lathan as its new leader.

She began her duties April 21, after spending the past five years of head of the public works department in Somerville in Lincoln County.

Lathan brings a range of experience and certifications that set her apart from most rural community administrators.

Her background includes extensive tenures at private and municipal organizations in recreation management, as a therapist and family services agency director, several public safety management positions.

Lathan has lived and worked in eastern Maine and southern Maine’s Lakes Region before working for Somerville.

She lives in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, with her wife and son. She will commute to Norway but already has local family roots; her daughter and three grandchildren live in the Windham area.

As a public administrator Lathan said she is motivated by community, but also the rank-and-file residents who make up its workforce and economy.

“I have a foundational belief of honoring and protecting, and celebrating the working class,” she said in an interview April 24. “It’s an integral part of everyday life and is what’s built this country, making our cities and towns functional and operational.

“Being a public works commissioner makes you involved with every single aspect of local government. It’s the foundation of operating the town, and in that regard similar to that of a town or city manager,” she added.

As she considered transitioning her career to municipal leadership, Lathan said she was struck by the sense of connection Norway officials have with the town. The values Norway’s Select Board prioritized during their search for a manager aligned closely with her own, she said.

“Community matters here. Input from employees, and from the community, matters,” Lathan said.

During the hiring process Lathan widened her interview net beyond the town Select Board and department heads. Before even meeting with the board she wandered around town, dining and visiting businesses to learn about its citizenry and their concerns.

“I just walked through the businesses, talking with people to learn from them: ‘Why Norway?,’” she asked. “People had no idea who I was or why I was here. (I could see) their enthusiasm to be part of it.”

Lathan also researched the local government, reading comprehensive plans, studying budgets, viewing board and committee meetings online.

During her first week on the job Lathan’s research became immersion: with sections of books, studies, folders and notes organized across her desk.

“I love that Norway is so invested in its history and preserving its downtown economy without the big-box stores,” she said. “It takes courage for that kind of economic commitment.”

Developing a new comprehensive plan for Norway looms large.

“We’ll continue that process with our next 10-year plan,” Lathan said. “We will definitely keep those elements as we move forward.”

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