Former Maine Department of Transportation employee Jerry Douglass has been named the new public works director in Gardiner.
The Gardiner City Council voted unanimously to confirm his appointment at its meeting Wednesday, and he is expected to start his new position no later than Aug. 31.
Jerry Douglass
On Wednesday, Douglass, who lives in Brunswick, said he was looking forward to returning to the public sector.
“I was the program manager of the Maine Local Roads center, and the primary role was to provide technical assistance to municipalities, and the biggest audience of that was public works departments,” Douglass said.
That work included putting on programs and training on a wide variety of public works topics, like snow and ice control, work zone safety, plan reading, and anything else having to do with public works and safety.
Douglass, 55, is currently a sales representative with All States Asphalt.
He said he learned about the opening through his social media network and after thinking about it for a while, he opted to apply. While he had taken a private-sector job, he wanted to return to the public sector.
“I thought it would be a good way to finish out my career,” he said. “It seemed like the right thing to do.”
Christine Landes, Gardiner city manager, said she’s known Douglass for more than six years.
“I feel very confident that he will fit in nicely with the city’s management team and will hit the ground running the day he starts” Landes said. “(He’s) an approachable and caring individual that will work with the city’s team, City Council, and residents to maintain safety within our organization, city infrastructure, and roads.”
Before he started working at All States Asphalt 3.5 years ago, he worked for a little more than 16 years for the Maine Department of Transportation. For the first four years, he was a transportation planner, and for 12 years he was manager of the Maine Local Roads Program.
He earned bachelor’s degrees in public management and in parks, recreation and tourism from the University of Maine after graduating from high school in Bath.
Douglass has been offered a salary of $74,000.
“I have been dedicated to public service and customer service,” he said. “When you work and you do things for the public good, it’s more of a visceral feeling. You do it because it feels good. That’s what motivates me and keeps me going — doing something for the taxpayer.”
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