Poised for permanent role, Raymond’s interim town manager reflects on first months on job

By Dina Mendros

Raymond has weathered a turbulent stretch in town leadership, cycling through four town managers in just two years. Interim Town Manager Glenn Michalowski hopes to bring that instability to an end – and to put down long‑term roots in the community.

On Feb. 3, the Raymond Select Board voted to offer Interim
Town Manager Glenn Michalowski the position permanently,
pending final approval of an employment agreement at an
upcoming meeting, He joined the Town of Raymond in
November on an interim basis after serving as the
Lisbon Town Manager. SUBMITTED PHOTO  

After longtime Town Manager Don Willard retired in January 2024, former Town Clerk Sue Look stepped into the role. She resigned in March 2025 and was succeeded by former Parks and Recreation Director Joseph Crocker. When Crocker announced his resignation in the fall, Michalowski, who had been the other finalist during that hiring process, was appointed interim town manager and began work in November. On Feb. 3, the Select Board voted to offer him the position permanently, pending final approval of an employment agreement at an upcoming meeting.

Originally from New Jersey, Michalowski said he is grateful to be in Raymond, which he called “an incredibly beautiful community … a special place with tremendous natural resources.”

But what has impressed him the most, he said, is the people. “The dedication of the staff, residents, and elected officials stands out. I arrived during a period of transition, following some leadership gaps over the prior 18 months,” Michalowski said. “I found an organization that was fundamentally stable and a community that was welcoming and eager to move forward. That collective commitment has made the work both meaningful and enjoyable.”

Raymond is a shift from the larger communities where he previously worked, most of which operated under a council‑manager form of government. From 2014 to 2018, he led a regional shared‑service paratransit organization serving five towns in Morris County, New Jersey, while earning a master’s degree in public administration from Rutgers University. He later served as assistant business administrator in Maplewood, New Jersey, a community of about 25,000 residents. After moving to Maine in 2021, he became Lisbon’s first assistant town manager in 2022 and then town manager from October 2022 until November 2025.

“Transitioning to a traditional New England town meeting form has been the biggest change – and a positive one,” he said. “I genuinely enjoy the direct democracy aspect, where citizens serve as the legislative body. It can mean a more deliberate process, but it also creates flexibility and strong community ownership of decisions.”

Maine’s strong home‑rule tradition, he said, offers municipalities meaningful local authority compared to states with more restrictive frameworks.

Since arriving in Raymond, Michalowski’s primary focus has been the Fiscal Year 2027 budget. “Beyond the budget, we are working on standardizing internal procedures, strengthening training and HR functions, finalizing the fire union contract, establishing the Jordan‑Small Middle School Committee and Comprehensive Plan Implementation Committee, and supporting department heads and the Select Board in achieving their priorities,” he said. “Equally important has been relationship‑building: meeting with residents, community stakeholders, and regional partners. After budget season, I look forward to expanding community engagement efforts.”

He acknowledges that Raymond faces challenges, though none he considers alarming. Rising external costs, particularly in solid waste and recycling, remain a concern. The town is also completing its revaluation this spring and ensuring that residents understand the process will be important. More broadly, he said, municipalities across Maine and the country are grappling with an aging workforce and fewer people entering public service.

“Retaining and developing the talent we have is a long‑term concern for local government everywhere,” Michalowski said.

Still, he sees significant opportunities ahead. “There are meaningful opportunities to capture additional grant funding and federal resources,” he said. Recent census changes have positioned Raymond to qualify for both urban and rural funding streams, especially for highway and infrastructure projects. “Those urban classifications may also create opportunities related to public transportation funding, which I would like to explore further.”

Despite the town’s recent leadership turnover, Michalowski is optimistic. “Trust is built over time and through consistent action. By supporting staff, maintaining transparency, and focusing on steady progress, we will continue to strengthen confidence with our neighbors.” So far, he said, “the atmosphere has been positive and collaborative. Staff have been engaged, and morale appears strong.”

Michalowski and his wife have family ties to Maine, and they’re eager to settle in with their two dogs, Fern and Pepper. He’s also looking forward to enjoying his favorite pastimes – backcountry skiing, sailing, fly fishing, and exploring Maine’s mountains and waterways.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to serve Raymond,” he said. “My focus is on steady, professional management; supporting the Select Board’s policy direction; and ensuring the town is well positioned for the future.” <

Raymond Select Board postpones scheduling election to fill vacancy

By Ed Pierce

To be as fair as possible to potential Select Board candidates, members of the Raymond Select Board voted to postpone a decision on an election date to fill a vacancy created by the recall of former Select Board Chair Denis Morse.

To be fair to potential Select Board candidates, members of
the Raymond Select Board voted to postpone a decision on
an election date to fill the vacancy created by the recall of
former Select Board Chair Denis Morse until the next
board meeting.  PHOTO BY ED PIERCE 

During a meeting on Jan. 13, the four remaining Select Board members certified results from the December recall voting removing Morse from office by a 282 to 260 vote tally. Morse, a retired town fire chief who was elected to the Raymond Select Board in 2023, was removed from his seat on the Select Board and declined to challenge the official result by asking for a recount.

Select Board Vice Chair Kaela Gonzalez, who retained her own seat on the board during the recall election by a vote of 276 to 265, thanked Morse for his years of public service to the town.

To fill the Select Board vacancy created by the recall of Morse, a special election will be held in Raymond to elect a candidate for that position. Raymond Town Clerk Melanie Fernald said that by town ordinance, an election should be scheduled 30 to 45 days after the Select Board certifies the results of the recall election.

She proposed setting a date of Feb. 17 for the election and a motion was made by Select Board member Chris Hanson to shorten the usual time for candidates to submit petitions and gather more than 25 signatures for nomination petitions and to be placed on the ballot following signature verification by the town clerk.

The window allowing a shortened period for absentee voting would have to be shortened as well, Fernald said.

Raymond Interim Town Manager Glenn Michalowski advised the board that the town attorney has said that waiting until the Town Meeting in June to hold an election to fill the vacancy exceeds state regulations.

Members of the public told the board that an election in February was too soon and would hamper voting, citing extremely slow mail delivery, vacationing residents not having enough time to vote by absentee balloting and a lack of time for potential candidates to become known by Raymond residents.

Hanson said he agreed with concerns raised about scheduling a February election date by the public, and he then moved to table his motion until the next meeting of the board, whether that be at the Raymond Select Board’s next scheduled meeting on Feb. 10 or during a special meeting of the board.

Select Board member Derek Ray said he was in favor of obtaining further legal clarification about the time frame for scheduling the election and reviewing all possible options.

Gonzalez said she believes every candidate for office in Raymond deserves a fair shake and that the normal time frame for candidates to gather signatures and to submit a petition is 40 days. She said she thought this didn’t conflict with the recall election ordinance by waiting until the next board meeting to set an election date, even if it was set for a date in April.

Hanson, Ray, Gonzalez and Select Board member Samuel Gifford voted unanimously to wait until the next board meeting to schedule a date for the election.

Raymond Select Board members exercise the town's executive and administrative powers, overseeing town functions through the appointed town manager, hiring town officials, managing highways, setting town fees, administering public health regulations, dealing with tax abatement appeals, implementing policy and serving town residents' needs. Select Board members are elected on a non-partisan basis and serve three year-terms in office.

Town bylaws specify that the Select Board shall deal with administrative services solely through the town manager and shall not give orders to any subordinates of the manager, either publicly or privately. This does not prevent the Select Board members from appointing committees or commissions of its own members or of citizens to conduct investigations into the conduct of any official or department, or any matter relating to the welfare of the town.

The term for the Select Board position vacated by Morse’s recall runs through June 2027, so the time that the elected candidate would be required to serve would be about 15 months if the board sets the election date for April. <

Raymond appoints new interim town manager

By Dina Mendros

The Town of Raymond will welcome a new interim town manager, Glenn Michalowski, who will be starting later this month. He will replace Joseph Crocker, who submitted his resignation as the Raymond Town Manager in early October.

Glenn Michalowski has been appointed as
Interim Town Manager for the Town of 
Raymond and will start his duties on Nov. 17.
Michalowski has served as the Lisbon Town
Manager for the past three years. 
SUBMITTED PHOTO 

The Raymond Select Board approved appointing Michalowski to the position on Oct. 21 and he will officially start duties with the town on Nov. 17. Michalowski is leaving his position as town manager for the Town of Lisbon, where he has served for three years, to work for the Town of Raymond.

The interim Raymond town manager position is initially for six months but could be extended to a year. To extend the position “the Board would have to be content with his accomplishments and how well he worked with the staff,” said Raymond Select Board Chair Denis Morse. He says that the town has not yet begun the process of looking for a permanent town manager.

Michalowski was one of two finalists out of 42 applicants when the board was originally looking for a town manager earlier this year, Morse said.

Crocker, who had worked for Raymond as the director of the Parks and Recreation Department for about five years, was appointed interim town manager in March and became the permanent town manager in May. He also took over as the town’s finance director in the summer of 2024 when the former finance director stepped down.

“Speaking for myself,” Morse said, “I voted for Joe as he had spent four to five years as our Recreation Department head building our growing recreation program that had been long overdue and looking for a leader.”

Although Crocker is moving to another job, he will still be around Raymond Town Hall for a while and will be helping out with some specific town projects.

“He has been in touch with Glenn and will be coming back to work for us providing help with the web page and hopefully other projects,” Morse said. “I know I can speak for the Board when I state we are delighted to hear Glenn has hired him back for a few weeks.”

In the search for an interim town manager, “We were looking for someone with the energy and passion to move forward with several large upcoming initiatives, such as the re-envisioning of the Jordan Small Middle School and our recently accepted Comprehensive Plan,” said Raymond Select Board Vice Chair Kaela Gonzalez.

Additionally, Morse said, the board was looking for someone with town manager experience and a degree in Public Management. Michalowski has both town manager experience and he holds a master’s degree in public administration from Rutgers University.

According to his LinkedIn page, in serving as Raymond’s interim town manager Michalowski says that he is “under contract to guide the organization through a leadership transition and strengthen its operational foundation ahead of future recruitment. My work focuses on continuity, fiscal management, and organizational stability – ensuring the town is positioned for long-term success and ready to attract strong leadership.”

In addition, Michalowski said, “I’m passionate about helping municipalities navigate periods of change, build administrative capacity, and modernize systems to deliver more effective, responsive public service - whether in a direct leadership role or as an advisor.”

Michalowski will be Raymond’s fourth town manager in 20 months. He replaces Crocker, who succeeded former Town Manager Sue Look, who resigned in March. Look had previously served as Raymond Town Clerk before being appointed by the Raymond Select Board to the role, succeeding longtime Town Manager Don Willard in January 2024 upon his retirement. Willard had worked as Raymond’s Town Manager for 23 years until he suffered an illness and while recovering chose to retire from the town manager’s role. <

Town of Raymond searching for new Town Manager after Crocker resigns

By Ed Pierce

For the fourth time in 20 months, the Town of Raymond is seeking a Town Manager following the resignation of Joseph Crocker last week.

Raymond Town Manager Joseph
Crocker, who has served in that
position first as interim manager 
since March and then as the
permanent town manager since
May, has resigned and the town
will undertake a new search to
find a replacement.
FILE PHOTO    

Crocker, 37, had formerly served the town as Parks and Recreation Director, and was appointed to the Town Manager position in May succeeding Sue Look, who resigned in March. The Raymond Select Board had then tapped Crocker to serve as the interim Town Manager until a permanent replacement could be hired.

Look had served as Raymond Town Clerk before succeeding longtime Town Manager Don Willard in January 2024 upon his retirement. Willard had been Raymond’s Town Manager for 23 years until he became ill, and while recovering chose to retire from the Town Manager role. Willard was elected in June 2024 to serve on the town’s Budget and Finance Committee for a three-year term.

Originally from Saco, Crocker attended high school at Thornton Academy and then went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in exercise science from Saint Joseph’s College of Maine. He later earned an MBA in sports and recreation management from New England College. Prior to coming to work for the Town of Raymond, Crocker worked in parks and recreation for Saco, Auburn, Kennebunk and Lewiston. In 2020, Crocker was hired to lead Raymond’s fledgling Parks and Recreation Department as director.

Crocker was hired for the Town Manager position after a competitive recruiting and hiring process conducted by HR Maine Consulting, LLC. All told, there were 46 applicants for the town manager position. Nine of those candidates participated in a rigorous essay and pre-screening process, with four candidates moving forward in the panel interview process, consisting of the Raymond Select Board Chair, Vice-Chair, a community member, town department heads, a Town Manager from another community, and Betsy Oulton from HR Maine Consulting.

His contract was for three years at an annual salary of $100,000.

Raymond Select Board Chair Denis Morse posted on the town’s website on Monday that he and all the Select Board members placed “high value” on Crocker as a town employee and that following his resignation, Morse asked him to remain as a town employee “and be a part of our ongoing work to devise a transition plan that included being mentored by an interim town manager.”

Before that could happen, rumors and misinformation began to swirl about Crocker’s departure, Morse said. He says this caused strife, anxiety and discomfort directed at other town employees as well as members of the Select Board.

According to Morse, this behavior, including some public comments made about the situation from former elected town officials “is the opposite of civil discourse and would be unconscionable even if this situation happened to be contentious or controversial, which it is not.”

Morse also posted a letter that the Raymond Select Board had received from Crocker which amended the timeline for his original resignation.

“I will stay on in a capacity to help with the transition to find a Town Manager who will bring experience that will fit the needs of the community,” Crocker wrote in the letter. “If this transition involves a space for me after the search has ended, I would be happy to stay in a different role if it works for everyone involved.”

Crocker said he does not wish any animosity toward the Town of Raymond but prefers to keep the reason he resigned private.

“When you provide services to a small town for so long, they become your friends,” he said. “All I can say is I have given my best effort to make the Town of Raymond better, and all I ask is that our elected officials act in good faith to do the same.” <

Raymond to establish selection process for new town manager

By Ed Pierce

A selection process will be set up by the Raymond Select Board in the coming weeks to identify candidates and interviews for the town manager position.

Raymond Town Manager Sue Look, who has been serving in that role since January 2024 has resigned, citing more than an hour’s commute from her home in Richmond.

Raymond Town Manager Sue Look, left, has resigned and 
will be leaving her position on March 21. The Raymond
Select Board has appointed Raymond Parks and Recreation
Director Joe Crocker, right, as Interim Town Manager
until a new permanent Town Manager can be chosen.
FILE PHOTOS

Look had been working as the Raymond Town Clerk when she was appointed by the Raymond Select Board to replace Don Willard as interim town manager in July 2023. Willard officially retired in January 2024 after being out on Paid Medical Leave and Look took over as permanent town manager at that time.

She had worked as Raymond Town Clerk for more than a decade prior to her serving in the town manager’s position. Look was born in Lewiston and has worked for the Town of Raymond since July 2014. She formerly served as the Town Clerk for the Town of West Bath and she was originally hired by Willard to replace longtime town clerk Louise Lester who was retiring at the time.

The Town Manager is a fulltime position appointed by the Raymond Select Board and is responsible for administering the policies as established by the Select Board and the Town Charter. The Town Manager serves as the chief administrative officer and head of the administrative branch of the town’s government.

The position’s duties include executive direction and supervision of the administrative services of the town and overseeing the finances of the town. The town manager also is responsible for implementing all town policies and providing all Town of Raymond staff with clear and efficient operating procedures necessary to conduct their assigned tasks.

Other duties of the town manager are to attend and participate in all meetings of the Raymond Select Board, work with the Raymond Budget and Finance Committee in developing an annual town budget, and work with the Select Board to meet the process requirements in time for the annual Town Meeting and tax bill preparation.

The Raymond Town Manager creates and submits to the Select Board an Annual Town report to distribute at the Annual Town Meeting in June, develops and updates annually a five-year Capital Improvement Plan for presentation to the Select Board, and stays up to date with changes in Maine state regulations that could affect town ordinances, policies, and budget. The town manager is responsible for submission of applications for state, federal and other grants for the benefit of the municipality, as approved by the Select Board.

To fill in until a new permanent town manager can be hired, the Raymond Select Board has appointed Raymond Parks and Recreation Director Joe Crocker as Raymond’s interim town manager.

Crocker, 37, joined the Town of Raymond as Parks and Recreation in February 2020 and essentially built the town’s recreation program from the ground up.

He attended Saint Joseph’s College, where he earned a degree in Exercise Science and then continued his studies at New England College in New Hampshire, earning an MBA in Sports and Recreation Management.

Among his many duties as Parks and Recreation Director, Crocker has managed improvements that the Town of Raymond has made to Tassel Top Park and facilities there and providing recreational activities and overseeing a department budget to meet resident needs.

Crocker said he will be a candidate for the permanent town manager position.

“I plan to apply, and if selected, I would be honored to serve the town in this new capacity,” he said. “If the Select Board decides to hire externally, I will gladly continue serving the community as the Parks and Recreation Director.”

Look’s final day with the Town of Raymond will be March 21. <

Raymond budget proposal slightly up from current year

By Ed Pierce

In formulating the budget proposal for Raymond’s Select Board to examine for the 2023-2024 fiscal year before putting it before voters, Raymond Town Manager Don Willard had to take several factors into consideration.

Raymond's initial budget proposal for 2023-2024 is
$18,640,359 and after revisions by the Raymond 
Select Board, voters will cast ballots to approve or 
reject the budget at the Annual Town Meeting on
June 13. COURTESY PHOTO   

Raymond has increased staffing levels and public safety employee retirement options have gone up. Along with that, capital expenditures for the town have risen and the library is offering new services and programming. Raymond has expanded recreational programs and inflation has resulted in higher pricing for town purchases.

Willard’s original budget proposal was $18,640,359, up from 2022-2023’s budget of $18,423,349.

“The budget represents a 7.30 percent ($455,932) increase in gross expenditures over last fiscal year,” Willard wrote to the Select Board in introducing the budget proposal. “After municipal revenues were applied to the gross budget, it results in a 9.53 net increase ($358,382) over last fiscal year.”

Willard reported to the Raymond Select Board that the new estimated taxable real estate valuation is $8 million, resulting in an increase of $120,000 in additional tax revenue, if calculated at a $15 per thousand valuation rate.

“This is a conservative estimate from the contractor assessor,” he said.

According to Willard, municipal revenues for the town are projected to increase by 3.91 percent, or about $97,000.

“The budget does not factor in the estimated increase in property tax revenues, any increase in revenue sharing, not does it include any undesignated fund balance or surplus,” he said.

Key items in the new Raymond budget proposal include fire department salaries rising from $902,523 to $999,358; fire department gasoline costs doubling from $15,000 annually to $30,000; Public Works costs increasing from $917.013 to $930,356; Parks and Recreation funding increasing from $156,343 to $164,084; Worker’s Compensation, Public Works gasoline and diesel fuel costs remaining the same as last year at $60,500; liability and unemployment insurance costs rising from $137,325 to $164,200.

Cumberland County’s tax assessment for Raymond jumps from $817,347 to $974,325. Benefit costs for Raymond town employees will increase 15.02 percent from $794,762 to $914,135.

Planned capital improvement funding for town projects such as road paving, a playground and work to municipal facilities are increasing from $890,000 to $965,000.

Willard says the town expects to take in $16,064,050 in real estate and personal property taxes and earn about $14,000 from investments in FY 2023-2024, up from $8,000 this year.

As far as state revenue sharing goes, Raymond is expecting to receive about $505,000 from Maine, about the same as projected in last year’s budget.

The town’s debt service decreases in 2023-2024 down to $353,114 from $357,614 this current year.

Under the budget proposal, funding for utility costs for Raymond town buildings will increase from $13,000 to $22,000.

Throughout March, the town’s Budget Committee worked with town departments in making budget revisions and a final budget was adopted at Tuesday night’s Raymond Select Board meeting.

The budget put forward does not include the RSU 14 budget which is still being calculated and will be separately approved or rejected by voters in June.

Raymond voters will cast ballots during the Annual Town Meeting on June 13 at Jordan-Small Middle School regarding the town budget. <

Raymond banners pay tribute to town’s graduating seniors

Raymond honored 2020 high school
graduates from the town by putting
up 49 banners recognizing their
academic achievements.
WINDHAM EAGLE PHOTO

By Ed Pierce

It was a year like no other in history for high school students this year, but a kind gesture has lifted spirits and inspired some lasting memories for 49 graduating seniors from the Town of Raymond.

Starting on the weekend following graduation, motorists driving through town on Route 302 found individual banners containing the names of all 49 of the town’s graduating seniors affixed to light posts throughout Raymond.

During a recent Raymond Select Board meeting, a proposal was made to do something different this year to recognize graduates from the town after traditional rites of passage for graduating seniors such as the Senior Prom and the annual commencement ceremony were scrapped as a result of COVID-19 restrictions.

“We felt these graduates needed something after everything that’s happened in the past few months because of the coronavirus,” said Teresa Sadak of the Raymond Select Board. “And we wanted it to be for all graduating seniors from our town and not just those who graduated from Windham High School. We first looked at having signs made, but signs seemed rather ordinary. The banners were a better idea and the select board members agreed.”

In all, the town had 51 sturdy vinyl banners produced by Time4Printing in Windham, with the two additional signs saluting the Class of 2020 placed on utility poles on Route 302 near the town lines with Casco and Windham entering Raymond.

Names of the graduates were confirmed by town officials and then double-checked to ensure that they were spelled properly prior to the production process. It only took Time4Printing employees about week to create the banners and then give them to the town to be unfurled on graduation weekend. 

“These young people are indeed our future and they have worked 12 or 13 years to reach this point in school,” Sadak said. “It’s just a shame that they had to go through this and miss so many school activities before their graduation. This small gesture by the town is intended to show them that we have noticed all of their hard work to get to where they are today and we wanted to honor and recognize them with something they would always remember.”

Sadak said that once everyone has had a chance to view the banners, they will be given to each of the 49 graduates in recognition of their academic accomplishments in high school.

“They didn’t have a prom or even got to experience Senior Day,” Sadak said. “This is our way of saying congratulations to them and to show our town’s gratitude and appreciation for their achievement.”

Sadak said feedback she’s received for the effort has been entirely positive.

“The parents have told me how proud they are and have been very grateful to see this recognition,” she said. “One of the 49 graduates attended Oxford High School and she was amazed that she was honored in this way by us.”

According to Sadak, the fiberglass and aluminum mounts for the banners will be stored for use again in Raymond in the future.

“We could use them for holiday banners, for election banners or any variety of purposes,” she said. <