AUBURN – Replacing Mark Adams won’t be easy, according to his boss, City Manager Pat Finnigan.

Calling his resignation a huge loss for the city, Finnigan said her job over the next few weeks will be making sure his responsibilities are covered.

“Right now we’re looking at projects, making sure all of those that he has been working on are covered,” Finnigan said. “We’ll be looking for a replacement, sure, but we won’t ground to a halt either.”

Adams, the city’s assistant city manager, announced his resignation to Finnigan on June 30. He takes over the human resources director’s job for the Maine Turnpike Authority on July 30.

“Mark’s departure will leave a gaping hole that will be felt throughout our entire organization and the community,” Finnigan said. It’s difficult to describe how very important he’s been to city staff and councilors and numerous Auburn citizens, she said.

“The only consolation in Mark’s decision to take on other professional challenges is that he and his family will remain in our community, and we will continue to be enriched by their involvement,” she said.

Finnigan and Adams discussed his resignation with the City Council in an executive session after Monday’s meeting, and Adams met with employees on Tuesday.

Mayor Normand Guay said he believes Adams resigned to spend more time with his family. Adams, 40, is a Lewiston resident. He’s married and has two sons.

“We all know his job is not an eight-hour-a-day thing,” Guay said. “We call on them, both the manager and the assistant manager, to work at all hours of the day. So, he might have taken a new position because it’s a new challenge for him. But primarily, I think it’s because of his family.”

Many hats

Adams has been the city’s second-in-command since November 1995. Before that, he served as assistant city administrator of Lewiston.

In Auburn, he’s worn a number of different hats. He helped guide the creation of the city’s downtown-revival ADAPT plan, served as the city’s representative to numerous boards and committees, and managed city projects, including the construction under way at Auburn Hall, the new city offices on Court Street.

He was also instrumental in the reconstruction of Court Street, construction of the new Hilton Garden Inn hotel at Great Falls Plaza, the creation of Festival Plaza, the Mechanics Row parking garage and the Center Street overpass.

“I truly believe that he will be back one day, working for one of the two cities,” Guay said. “With as much talent as he has, it’s only a matter of time before he returns to become city manager of one of the two.”

Finnigan has not begun to advertise for Adams’ replacement. She expects to advertise in Maine in the next few months. For the moment, she’s more concerned with maintaining daily operations.

“The one thing to keep in mind is that we are a team,” Finnigan said. “We have a talented leadership team that has reacted to fill positions in the past, and that’s what we’ll do here.”

The city is still looking to replace Finance Director Jill Eastman, who resigned in February. That search was suspended during budget discussions, but Finnigan expects to begin interviewing potential applicants in August.

Adams was not available for an interview on Wednesday.