CANAAN — Town Administrator Mike Samson has informed the Selectboard that he plans to retire.
Although his contract runs through July 2, 2023, Samson said his target is the end of the calendar year.
“The date I have in my head is Dec. 31,” Samson said. “As long as I do a good job with the transition, I don’t think anyone is going to care.”
The Selectboard plans to start searching for a new administrator at the end of April in hopes of making a hire by August, so that person can work alongside Samson to learn the position before his departure.
Getting a new administrator up to speed will be important, as the town stands to lose some key leaders in the next year.
David McAlister, who has served on the Selectboard since 2013, has announced he will not run for reelection this year. Two candidates, Anthony Bishop and Stephen Freese, have filed to run for the open three-year term.
In addition, board Chairman Scott Borthwick said Thursday he doesn’t plan to run for reelection when his term expires next year.
The town’s fire chief, Bill Bellion, is retiring after this year’s Town Meeting. Assistant Chief John Hennessy is replacing him, and Bellion has been working to smooth the transition, which is expected to take place in mid-March.
Police Chief Samuel Frank’s contract is up next year, as is the term of Vicky McAlister, the town clerk and tax collector.
McAlister, who is married to David McAlister, said she plans to run for reelection when her term is up but hadn’t made up her mind yet about any plans beyond that.
Efforts to reach Frank were unsuccessful.
Vicky McAlister said the town is experiencing a period of transition.
“We’re looking at big changes,” McAlister said.
Having a new administrator in place to guide that transition will be beneficial, Borthwick said.
“We’re going to try to find someone we can get in and learn the position,” Borthwick said.
Samson, whose current salary is $76,129, said it is important for the new administrator go through a budget cycle with him to have firm control when the keys are handed over for the town of about 3,900 residents.
Samson said he’s not sure what his future holds after the job — he came into the role with a varied background as an educator, lawyer, town manager, town administrator and COO of a plastics manufacturing company. But he knows he won’t be sitting on the couch.
“I only went looking for a job once, and it was this job,” Samson said. “If someone gave me the right challenge, I went with it. I like to be good at what I do. At 72, I’m not looking.”
This year’s town report includes a farewell letter that lists his accomplishments during his tenure. The list runs to 3½ pages.
In an interview, he listed a few that he thinks rank at the top.
No. 1, he said, is keeping the tax rate in check, which flows into No. 2 — increasing town services and adding personnel as needed within the budgetary constraints that allowed taxes to stay relatively flat.
“Our expenses have only grown 2.1% a year over the last 12 years,” Samson said. “Taxes raised have only grown 1.9% per year.”
Samson said he sees that as the job of a town administrator.
“Can you craft a plan of action and a list of services that will satisfy most of the people, and can you do it without breaking the bank?” Samson said. “That’s been the objective the past 12 years.”
He said the town has adjusted its fees for services and taken advantage of grants and other income sources to make up the difference.
Other achievements Samson listed include a revamping of the town’s water and sewer system, an engineered plan to control flooding in the village of Canaan and an overall improvement in communications in the town.
He said that communication is what led the town through a revamped budgeting process, which now begins in July and proceeds through the fall and winter leading to a finalized budget that residents vote on at Town Meeting.
He also listed an achievement that didn’t have anything to do with his official town duties.
Samson was instrumental in the launch of Mascoma Community Health Center, a community-owned and -operated nonprofit health care center that offers medical, dental and behavioral services.
Borthwick said he thinks Samson has “done a good job for the town.”
“I was one of the selectmen who hired him,” said Borthwick, who has been on the Selectboard since 2008.
“He has his moments,” Borthwick said. “But, overall, he’s put a ton of time and effort into this town.”
Borthwick praised Samson for his work keeping the budget and tax rate under control.
“He’s worked extremely hard over the years to keep the taxes as low as possible,” Borthwick said. “When I first came on, the budget had failed two years in a row.”
The town has a deliberative session scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday at Canaan Elementary School, to go over the warrant articles. Town Meeting Day is March 8.