Courtney O’Donnell began her position as Casco Town Manager July 8, 2019. Her last day will be Sept. 11. Jane Vaughan / Lakes Region Weekly file photo
CASCO — The Selectboard is gearing up for another town manager search, just one year after the town hired Courtney O’Donnell to replace Dave Morton, who held the position for 41 years.
O’Donnell would not comment on the reason for her departure, saying in an email to the Lakes Region Weekly that “I wish nothing but the best for the Town of Casco and its citizens.”
Selectboard Chairman Thomas Peaslee also said this week he could not comment on O’Donnell’s reason for leaving the job because he cannot discuss personnel matters.
“I’m very disappointed that she’s leaving after a year because I went through this process a year ago,” Peaslee said Tuesday morning. “She’s done a lot of good for the town and sometimes things just don’t match up.”
O’Donnell’s last day on the job is Sept. 11.
The town has hired municipal consultant Don Gerrish of the Augusta law firm Eaton Peabody to assist in a search for a new manager. Gerrish, who will be paid $6,000, for his services in Casco, is a former 20-year town manager in Brunswick and most recently served a lengthy stint as interim town manager in Windham.
Peaslee said the town has the option of hiring an interim town manager for two to three days a week at $600 a day.
O’Donnell came to Casco from Stockton Springs, where she was town manager for 2½ years. She started work in Casco began last July.
In an interview with the Lakes Region Weekly last June, O’Donnell said that taking over from Morton, who holds the state record as the longest continuously serving municipal administrator in a single Maine town, was “certainly, without a doubt a little intimidating.” But, she said, “at the end of the day, I just do my best and hopefully that’s enough. I think it presents a unique opportunity for the town, and that’s why I’m excited to hear from citizens.”
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