SOUTH PORTLAND – The Maine Town and City Manager’s Association has chosen South Portland City Manager Jim Gailey as its manager of the year.

The association held its annual management institute last week when its annual awards were announced. The manager-of-the-year award recognizes professionalism, integrity, leadership and the confidence and respect of the honoree’s peers.

Recipients must also demonstrate a socially responsible approach toward their community, including concern for the well-being, support and growth of their colleagues and making contributions at the regional, state and national levels.

Gailey has been the city manager in South Portland since 2007, but first began working for the recreation department while still in his teens. Gailey has also worked in the public works, finance and planning departments and was the assistant city manager.

He grew up in South Portland, attended local schools, and still lives in the city with his wife, Stephanie, and two sons, ages 13 and 10. The family has two goldfish and Gailey said the kids are begging for a dog to add to the household.

He has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maine at Farmington and a master’s degree in public policy and management from the Muskie School of Public Service.

Gailey is also a certified community development block grant administrator, a certified Maine community development officer and a graduate of the Institute of Civic Leadership.

“I never imagined being honored with the Linc Stackpole Manager of the Year award,” Gailey said last week. “This award doesn’t just go to me; it is shared with a very supportive City Council and an extremely talented city staff. South Portland is a wonderful city, and I am blessed to be a part of it each and every day.”

Gailey is the first city manager from South Portland to receive the manager-of-the-year award and according to Mayor Gerard Jalbert the honor is well-deserved.

Jalbert said that although Gailey is one of the youngest city managers in Maine, his depth of experience in municipal government is what makes him such an excellent community leader.

“This award is richly deserved,” Jalbert said. “We’ve had an intense year in South Portland, and Jim has handled it all very well.”

He said the Gailey family has a long history of service to the city with Jim Gailey’s father, John, serving as the longtime principal at Memorial Middle School.

“Service to the city seems to be a (Gailey) family legacy,” Jalbert added.

This week, Gailey spoke with the Current about the award and what it means to him and the community at large.

Q: How long and in what capacity have you worked for the city?

A: In my office I still have my first pay stub, which is dated Sept. 15, 1986.

I first started working for the recreation department as a teenager and spent three-and-a-half years there. I spent five years in the parks department, then did an internship in planning for a semester, did a stint during Christmas break on the trash truck in 1993 – boy was that cold – and then started full time with the finance department.

I worked in finance for two years, then with the planning department for seven years. I then became the community development officer for two years and worked as the assistant manager for one-and-a-half years. During that time I also did two stints as acting manager and I’ve been the city manager for close to seven years now.

Q: What do you most enjoy about being the city manager in South Portland?

A: The diversity of the job.

No day is exactly the same, and it never gets old. I run a meeting calendar, which tends to be pretty busy, but you never know how the rest of the day will get filled and it’s typically not what you’re expecting.

I could be working on budget items in the morning, dealing with a couple of citizen issues by lunch and working with a department head on a project during the afternoon. The diversity of the different departments provides a dynamic like no other.

Lastly, I have been fortunate during my tenure to work with a tremendous group of city councilors, who all truly care for the community. The City Council also has a great working relationship with staff members and together we’re able to do some exciting things here in South Portland.

Q: What are some of the biggest challenges of your position?

A: Keeping service delivery strong and developing a responsible budget, while always trying to move the community forward. On the personal side, keeping the balance between work and family.

It is way too easy to find yourself putting in 60-plus hours a week and not seeing your family. During the past several years the City Council has been great in making sure that balance is there for me.

Q: Did you know you’d been nominated for the manager of the year?

A: No. I was floored. I never expected to get this award at this point in my career. I was actually sitting the furthest away from the podium when they called my name as the winner. Seeing my family, two city councilors and 11 fellow staff members walk into the room to share the moment with me was very emotional.

Q: What does this award mean to you personally?

A: It truly is an honor to receive the recognition and know that people think you’re doing a good job, but I see the award as also recognizing the 290 dedicated employees who day-in and day-out provide excellent services to the citizens and businesses of South Portland. No one person can do it all. It takes a team.

Q: What does the award mean to the city as a whole?

A: The talent of the staff here in South Portland is unbelievable. We typically have at least one or two employees recognized annually through their statewide or regional associations.

This year, for instance, library director Kevin Davis received the William S. Summers Award from Florida State University and recreation coordinator Sabrina Best received the young professionals award through the Maine Recreation & Parks Association.

And, in the last five years, city staff has also received the city clerk of the year, fire chief of the year and planner of the year awards. Having the talent and the dedication of the employees is a tremendous asset to the community and is shown through the staff’s daily interactions with the residents, business and visitors to our city.

Jim Gailey, city manager in South Portland, has been named the city manager of the year by the Maine Town and City Manager’s Association.