In a surprising move, Town Manager Karl Kilduff has announced he will resign from his position. The town will begin 2024 searching for a new town manager.

A letter was sent from Kilduff late on Dec. 21 to members of all town boards, commissions, and employees that informed them of his decision.

In his resignation letter, Kilduff wrote, “A new opportunity presented itself which is very attractive and allows me to expand my skill set. As a result, I have decided to accept a similar position in another community. This was a difficult decision to reach. I am proud of the shared accomplishments that have been achieved during my time, and a solid foundation has been set for the form of government. My professional success here has been made possible by the close working relationship with council members and dedicated town staff.”

Town Council chairperson Carrie Allen said Kilduff is required to give the town 60 days’ notice of his decision, meaning his last day would be Monday, Feb. 19.

“During that time, my focus will remain on this community and serving as its town manager. I will prepare an exit memo for your use and that of the council to help track important issues. It is important to me that there is an orderly transition, and I hope that can be accomplished,” Kilduff wrote.

However, Allen said that Kilduff has offered to stay on a bit longer to get the town through the looming budget season.

While work on crafting department budgets for the next fiscal year is already underway, the period between January and March is critical. In those months, the budgets are reviewed, tweaked, and finalized before being presented to the public for a public hearing. The budget is then put up for a referendum in May.

“Karl generously offered to stay on beyond the 60 days he is required to give. The focus will be on the budget. He is extremely good at budgets,” Allen said.

The town is currently also without a finance director at the moment after Sue Cunningham retired on Dec. 15. Acknowledging the tall task of entering the budget season without a finance director and a departing town manager, Allen again praised Kilduff’s leadership when it comes to crafting budgets.

“We will do our best to alleviate those concerns,” Allen said.

When informed of Kilduff’s decision to resign, Allen said she was “shocked”. The Town Council gave Kilduff a three-year contract extension in 2022, and on Nov. 6, 2023, the council also gave Kilduff a 3% raise.

“He wants to move on, and we respect that. I was very much looking forward to working with him.” Allen said. Allen was elected as chairperson of the Town Council earlier in December.

Though she declined to elaborate on specifics at this time, Allen said the council is prepared to start moving on the search process for the next town manager.

“We have been at it since this morning. We’re ready to get the ball rolling,” Allen said.

Kilduff was officially hired as Clinton’s first-ever town manager in January 2020. Since then, Kilduff’s tenure has been quite eventful. He has had to lead the council through the bumps of ironing out the defined role of the new Town Council, endured contract negotiations and budget processes, helped the town find a potential new use for the Pierson School, and, of course, dealt with the unprecedented challenges the town has faced due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Several town employees and department heads told the Harbor News over the last three years that they appreciated the knowledge and experience Kilduff brought to the table when compared to the previous form of government, particularly at budget discussions.

“I have been honored to serve as Clinton’s first Town Manager for four years and been fortunate to work alongside a number of great community volunteers, excellent employees, and dedicated elected officials,” Kilduff wrote in part.