DURHAM – Durham town officials are in the hunt for a new administrative assistant/town administrator to replace the outgoing Janet Smith.

Jeff Wakeman, chairman of the Board of Selectmen, said last Friday that Smith turned in her letter of resignation to the board on Aug. 26, effective Sept. 9. Smith, 48, of Wiscasset, has taken the position of town manager in Richmond. Smith had been on the job for 31?2 years, succeeding Warren Hatch, Wakeman said.

Wakeman said that the town is accepting resumes for the job. Smith was earning $61,500 but her successor’s salary will be negotiable, he said.

“It’s full-time salary,” he said. “It’s four days in the office, plus other duties.”

Smith said she wasn’t looking for another job.

“I hadn’t been thinking of it,” she said Friday, between waiting on customers. “The Richmond position became open. It was kind of the right-time, right-place type of thing. It’s closer to my home. I’m not leaving here because of dissatisfaction.”

Smith leaves a void, Wakeman said.

“She was excellent,” he said. “She has helped us in many ways. Her organizational skills were very good and she had a breadth of knowledge for that position that I don’t think can be equaled, personally.”

Selectmen are seeking a person with considerable experience in a responsible position of a managerial nature, preferably in local government. The successful candidate should have a strong background in financial management, accounting, business administration, and public relations, according to a notice put out by the town. For more information, see www.durhamme.com.