Fairfield’s town manager, Joshua Reny, will begin his new role as South Portland’s assistant city manager in late September.

A month after stepping down as Fairfield’s town manager, Joshua Reny, a Fairfield native, will become South Portland’s next assistant manager in late September.

In South Portland, “there are a lot of exciting things happening right now that I am interested in being a part of,” said Reny, 34, who has been Fairfield’s manager for nearly five years and is earning $65,000 a year.

“I thought it would be a good time in my professional career to broaden my horizons a bit and be exposed to a bit more than I have been here. It’s a good next step,” he said. “I’m really excited about it.”

Reny’s last day as Fairfield’s town manager is Sept. 18, and his first day in South Portland, where he will earn $80,600 a year, is yet to be determined. The Fairfield Town Council accepted Reny’s resignation on Aug. 12.

“It’s been a tremendous honor working for my hometown,” said Reny. “(Fairfield) is a great community with great people, businesses, and charitable organizations. Certain challenges remain, but they will be overcome as the town continues to make progress.”

Reny will replace Jon Jennings, who became Portland’s city manager in July. South Portland’s city manager Jim Gailey said, in addition to helping with day-to-day administrative tasks, Reny will also be responsible for running the city’s economic development program, and coordinate programs and activities with other city departments, government agencies, and the business community.

Reny served as the economic and community development director for Fairfield from 2008-2009 before becoming the town manager in 2010. Prior to that, Reny served in the Maine Air National Guard in South Portland for nine years. He is a member of Vermont Air National Guard and serves as president of the Somerset County Economic Development Corp. He is also an active member of the Central Maine Growth Council and Kennebec Valley Council of Governments.

Under Reny’s tenure, Fairfield’s general fund balance has increased by $1.7 million and the town has been awarded more than $500,000 in grants for various projects, according to an Aug. 19 press release announcing his resignation. He also led several downtown redevelopment projects, including the $6.5 million transformation of the vacant and historic Gerard Hotel on Main Street into residential housing for people 55 and older.

According to Reny, in the past five years he’s also worked with the state department of transportation and Pan Am Railways to secure funding to rebuild most of the town’s railroad crossings at no cost to taxpayers, and partnered with Somerset County to construct a new telecommunications tower on town-owned land, “which greatly improved radio communications.”

“I’m very interested in economic and community development issues, and I look forward to working for the city (of South Portland) to pursue its goals and focus on its priorities,” said Reny, who has a master’s degree in public policy and management from the University of Southern Maine’s Muskie School of Public Service and a bachelor’s degree in international studies from the University of Maine at Farmington.

What made Reny stand out among the 47 other applicants for the position, said Gailey, was his experience in economic development, as well as the number of regional boards he’s served on through the years.

South Portland’s mayor, Linda Cohen, said South Portland “is a very complex and busy community” and that “the city manager needs an assistant manager to help him, not only with the day to day operation, but also with constituent issues of the council and special and long-term projects happening in the city.

“I know the city manager thoroughly vetted the candidates, and I have confidence in his judgment that Mr. Reny will be a good fit for South Portland,” Cohen said.

In Fairfield, Reny worked with a five-member town council, oversaw 70-plus employees and a $5 million annual municipal budget, and implemented a multi-year capital improvement program. In South Portland he will oversee a budget of more than $95 million.

“Coming in with an economic development background of a number of years, and being town manager of Fairfield for the last five years, he really was a perfect candidate and one that fit the mold for the position,” Gailey said. “He has some good working relationship with members of nonprofits, for-profit businesses and other municipalities.”

Gailey said he is looking forward to Reny bringing some new energy, ideas and perspective to South Portland.

“Josh is community focused and only wants the best for the community,” Gailey said. “He has a proven track record in Fairfield and his understanding of public-private partnerships and citizen involvement are strong aspects of his skills and abilities.”

“Josh is intelligent, thoughtful and proactive,” said Fairfield Town Council Chairman Robert Sezak. “I will miss his camaraderie and forward thinking. Josh knows the ins and outs of municipal government and will hit the ground running.”

In 2013, Reny earned the Rookie Manager of the Year Award during the 68th New England Management Institute annual conference, and in 2014, he was recognized by the Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce as the area’s most prominent “Rising Star.”

He said he is looking forward to working with South Portland’s executive team, which includes Gailey, and “continuing to learn and grow professionally,” he said.

Reny, who is married and has a 3-year-old daughter, is planning to find a home in South Portland, where he lived while serving in the National Guard as a member of the 243rd Engineering and Installation Squadron before moving back to his hometown of Fairfield 10 years ago.

“I look forward to returning,” said Reny. “It’s a great community.”

Josh Reny