Bridgewater town manager accepts new job

By Scott Mitchell Johnson
Staff Writer
    BRIDGEWATER – When opportunity knocks, Amanda Dow answers.
    Having spent the last eight and a half years as the Bridgewater town manager, Dow wrapped up her municipal career and began her new job Oct. 25.
    “I’m going to work for Maine Revenue Services in Houlton as a tax examiner,” said Dow, 30. “I live in Hodgdon, so not having to commute as far every day will be nice.
Amanda Dow
    “I love the job here, I love the work; it’s a wonderful community … there’s so many wonderful people which is one of the good things about these small communities,” she said, “but I’ve been on a register with the state for a few years now. I wasn’t actively seeking employment, but this opportunity arose and I decided to take it. It’s closer to home and there’s a great benefit and retirement package that’s available with it, as well, which you don’t always have with the small towns.”
    Another advantage to working in the Shiretown is having more time for her children, Braden, 6, and Marissa, 5.
    “I have two young kids that are involved in everything, so I’m going to be a lot more accessible to them. My new job won’t involve working nights whereas being the town manager, there are a lot of long hours … you’ve got meetings, elections, etc.,” said Dow. “We’ve been working a lot with the planning committee trying to get a new building in town and have been actively seeking grants. All of that has added to the time that we spend away from home during the evenings.
    “It wasn’t that I was unhappy serving the residents of Bridgewater; this opportunity just arose and it’s a good opportunity for me and my family,” she said. “Hopefully I’m making the right choice.”
    Dow said she has enjoyed working for the town and its 612 residents.
    “The people are great and that interaction is something that I won’t have at my new job which is something I’m going to miss,” she said. “We’ve accomplished a lot. We built a town office, we’ve looked for grants for a new community center, and successfully went through a revaluation in 2007 that lowered the mill rate for a couple of years. We also implemented a computerized receiving and bookkeeping system. Everything was manually kept before I came and then we got everything up-and-running with computers. That was a big step for the town.
    “It’s been a pleasure to work with the townspeople,” said Dow. “Bridgewater is a great town and I’ve learned a lot and gained a lot of valuable experience and knowledge. I’ll miss the townspeople a lot. They’ve called and stopped in and have given me hugs and well wishes, and that makes me feel really good.”
    The board of selectmen has run advertisements for the position of town manager, which also includes the duties of treasurer, tax collector, town clerk and general assistance administrator. Applications are due to the Town Office this Friday and the interview process will begin shortly thereafter.
    At a special board meeting last Wednesday night, it was decided that Pat Lenentine, deputy clerk, will fill in at the office handling the day to day activities in her current capacity until a suitable replacement for Dow is found.