Meredith town manager to move to Berlin

MEREDITH — Meredith’s longtime town manager, Phillip Warren, is leaving the position after nearly 13 years of service.

“I’ve totally enjoyed working with him,” said Meredith selectboard member Jonathan James. “I hate to see him go, but everyone makes a move for a reason.”

For Warren, that reason is the desire to seek a new challenge. Warren is not leaving the profession, but bringing his talents and experience to the same role in Berlin.

“Berlin is a community with great growth potential, not unlike Meredith was in earlier times,” Warren said. “The challenge of managing a community of this type inspired me.”

Warren previously worked as the town manager in Abington, Massachusetts, before taking on the role in Meredith in 2009. Prior to his work as a town manager, Warren occupied the roles of tax collector, treasurer and assistant to a town manager in various communities. All in all, Warren has worked in municipal government since 1996.

“He’s been overall a good town manager,” James reflected. “He’s on top of things, he's been very good.”

Warren’s last day as Meredith’s town manager is April 28. In the meantime, the selectboard will start the process of hiring a replacement. 

“We’re potentially putting an ad in the paper tomorrow after we finalize the job description tonight,” James said on Monday, stating that the town will likely rely on an interim manager during the potentially months-long candidate search.

“I wouldn’t be surprised that we don’t have a brand new one ‘till June. There’s a process to look for candidates,” James said, creating an example scenario. “Say you hire somebody that came from Rochester. He accepts the job, he’s gonna give you a two- to three-months notice, so you have to wait 2-3 months before he comes to you. It’s not like the typical job where you give 2 weeks notice and go to the next job.”

Despite this gap, James expressed confidence in an interim town manager to run things neatly until the final candidate is brought in. 

When asked what he will miss most about the Lakes Region, Warren said it will be the people and the town he’s called home for over a decade. 

“It has been very rewarding working in Meredith,” Warren said in an email. He continued, stating that he looks forward to “meeting the residents, elected and appointed officials and employees, and learning what Berlin wants for the future.”