Bye for now and thanks
To the editor:
As indicated in previous City Manager’s reports, I have resigned from my position as planner with the city of Presque Isle as of Sept. 30th, following a lengthy notice period. I would like to thank the citizens of Presque Isle including many volunteers I’ve had the pleasure to work with in the past three and a half years, whether on the Planning Board, Downtown Revitalization Committee or in other roles.
I would also like to thank my colleagues at Presque Isle City Hall and in other city departments. I’ve learned a lot from working with this team. After a month-long search, I am happy to announce that I have accepted a similar position working at City Hall in Belfast.
I am proud to have served as an employee of the city of Presque Isle. As Star-Herald readers know, the Presque Isle City Council decided not to fill the planner position, as part of an intensifying effort to reduce costs. The manager has taken over staffing the downtown revitalization committee himself. Other city staff and outside consultants are pitching in on the planning and development functions I had previously covered as planner. As the city constantly seeks to do more with less, I hope that residents and other stakeholders do not feel any adverse effects of reductions in services and I hope the extra effort on the part of remaining city employees to work within these increasing budget constraints does not go unnoticed.
One of the marks of quality for any community is its ability to welcome younger professionals and help them grow in their careers even though, like myself, they may not choose to settle permanently in the community. By that standard, living and working in the city of Presque Isle has certainly done right by me, despite the misgivings of friends and colleagues back in western Massachusetts who obviously meant well but who told me I was crazy to go 500 miles north for a job. In addition to professional growth I’ve also made some great friends up here and I feel like I have discovered a truly unique community and a beautiful landscape to which I hope to return on vacation time in the future.
I would be remiss if I did not conclude with a final word of thanks to the Presque Isle Elks Lodge, the Rotary Club and the New Brunswick Monthly Meeting (Quakers). Membership in these organizations has taught me so much about the ideals of service and community.
James P. Francomano
