By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

CASCO — For most people landing a new job feels like embarking on an adventure. 

For Tony Ward, starting his job as the Casco Town Manager has been more like a homecoming. 

After all, Ward grew up in Harrison, one of the towns which shares a border with Casco. Therefore, transitioning from working for the Town of Sabattus to being employed in Casco places Ward closer to his old stomping grounds. Ward graduated from Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School. That is where he met his wife. They started out as high school sweethearts, and have been married for 34 years now. The couple has two grown children.

Ward’s favorite pastimesare golf and kayaking. One of his favorite kayak spots is Parker Pond, which is almost a stone’s throw from the Casco Community Center. Last weekend, Ward and his wife went out in the kayaks and saw an abundance of wildlife, including several deer and an eagle. So he is happy to be in a location with so many ponds, lakes and rivers. 

“My wife would love to buy some waterfront property. Obviously, Casco would be my first choice. Today’s housing market could make it more challenging” to move from Gray, he said.  

Ward seems to be traveling down a familiar career path. He took on the role of Sabattus town manager six years ago. Prior to that, he was the police chief in Portland. He earned his degrees at the University of Southern Maine: a Bachelor’s in Applied Technical Leadership and a Master’s in Public Policy & Management.

Ward took time during his first few days as Casco Town Manager to answer a half-dozen questions for The Bridgton Newsso that people in the community could get to know him a little bit better.  

B-News: When did you initially apply for the Casco town manager job? 

Ward: I applied for it inFebruary of this year. 

B-News: Why did you decide to apply for the Casco town manager job? 

Ward: There were multiple reasons when I decided to apply. It is a position that is moving closer to where I currently live [Gray]. The primary reason though: This is the type of community where I could see being for a long time both professionally and personally. I grew up in the Lake Region so this is somewhat of a returning home to where I grew up, to a very similarcommunity. I grew up in Harrison. 

B-News:What else interested you about being town manager of Casco?

Ward: After talking with the Interim Town Manager Don Gerrish, he explained to me the strengths and weaknesses of the current environment in Casco. I thought my skill sets would help with the weaknesses and the strengths of the town. It would be a perfect match for me and for the community. 

The board has set four goals for the town that would be passed on to me. 

Obviously, the comprehensive plan — I’ve dealt with a comp plan while in Sabattus and this is the road map for future growth or policies. 

 Sabattus was in the process of developing a Charter Review Committee and this also assists in directing the Town’s focus and objectives. I’ve had experiencewith documents that develop the direction of a community.

Another goal is doing an analysis of employee pay and benefits packages which entails job descriptions, defining employee responsibilities and conducting a formal pay analysis. When I was in Sabattus, I ended up doing all those for staff in the town office, public works, and the police.

B-News:What did you think during the interview process?   

Ward: I’ll say that we did an in-person interview, which was nice when people were just starting out. I found the interview process extremely enjoyable. The dialogue between me and the board members was positive, and I thought we would work well as a team.

I was excited about the prospect of being hired, especially after the interview.

B-News: During your time as the Sabattus town manager, what were some of the accomplishments that make you proud?

Ward: Sabattushad no zoning. We were able to develop zoning. It went through the planning board, code enforcement department, and town meeting process. The zoning change helped to develop business opportunities. 

B-News: Can you draw any comparisons between the towns of Sabattus and Casco? 

Ward: The only similarity between them is that the Casco’s winter population of 4000 is comparable to the year-round populationof 5,000 in Sabattus. 

What is very different? The valuation of all the property in Casco and the valuation of Sabattus is very different. Casco has much more valuable land and waterfront properties. Casco has multiple ponds or lakes and Sabattus only had a couple of ponds.Back to comparisons of what is the same: Both have a 5 person selectboard that wants to continue moving forward, continue with progressive ideas.