Gorham’s police chief of 19 years will retire in November.

Ronald Shepard, a Gorham native and a member of the town’s police department for more than 40 years, submitted his resignation letter to Town Manager David Cole on Thursday.

“I am most proud of the members of the Police Department serving now and in the past, they are the ones that have always responded to the calls, provided the necessary services, treated people with fairness and impartiality, and in the end made me look good,” wrote Shepard, who oversees 24 employees, according to the town’s website.

Cole, who swore Shepard in as chief on Sept. 27, 1995, said he “has always admired his level of professionalism and dedication to the town.”

Shepard said he plans to stay involved in the community.

“After all, it is the town I grew up in,” he wrote.

Over the past several years, the town’s police and fire departments, which share a building on Main Street, have been pushing for more space.

Last year, voters resoundingly rejected a $6.3 million plan to renovate the former Little Falls school and move the public safety headquarters there.

The latest proposal is a $5 million renovation and expansion of the existing headquarters.

Shepard’s retirement date — Nov. 4 — could be the day voters decide whether to pursue that project.

Leslie Bridgers can be contacted at 791-6364 or at:

lbridgers@pressherald.com

Twitter: @lesliebridgers