Feb. 19 was the last day on the job for Clinton Town Manager Karl Kilduff. Before he left, Kilduff and members of the Town Council took time to reflect on his time in Clinton.

The final days of 2023 brought a major surprise to Clinton as Kilduff announced he had resigned for a new job in Weston.

The Town Council meeting on Feb. 7 was the last regular meeting that Kilduff would be a part of, and the council members took some time to thank Kilduff for his work over the years.

Town Council Chairperson Carrie Allen thanked Kilduff for the projects he worked on over the last two years since Allen became a member of the council.

“I just want to thank you for moving the Pierson project into reuse; that’s going to transform a good bit of our downtown. Thank you for the thoughtful allocation of the [American Rescue Plan Act ] money, and I’d like to thank you for making it possible these last two years, but actually, four years, though I wasn’t here for two years, for keeping the mill rate flat,” Allen said.

Kilduff became Clinton’s first-ever town Manager in January 2020 after a Town Charter change, which residents overwhelmingly approved in 2018, went into effect and changed the town’s form of government from a board of selectmen style to a town manager/town council style.

Council member Chris Aniskovich, who has been on the council for four years and served as the first chairman of the council from 2019 to November 2023, thanked Kilduff for the work he did behind the scenes and said he wished more people would have understood the distinction between a first Selectman and a Town Manager.

“Our change that we did, when you look back at it, quite honestly, it was the best thing that could have ever happened to this town,” Aniskovich said.

“I was lucky enough to work directly with him for those four years and I wish more people could have seen and understood what he did on a daily basis. I can honestly sit here right now and say nobody knew how much Karl did for our town. The work he did behind the scenes that nobody saw, but people were more concerned with we didn’t see him out at the Stop and Shop, we didn’t see him at the fields, and you know it was hard for people to grasp the idea it’s not his job.”

“Me personally I’m sad to see him go, he was great for our town, and going forward I hope people really take charge to understand what a town manager is and maybe we’d be able to respect a little more what he did,” Aniskovich continued.

“He will be greatly missed in our town and going forward I think the void of him leaving, I think there’s going to be a time where we’ll miss him dearly.”

Kilduff thanked the council members for their kind words and reflected on his time in Clinton.

”It’s been an adventure for four years, certainly a lot we’ve had to respond to. COVID was not in my mind when I took this job then three months later there it was,” Kilduff said.

“Leaving was not a decision I made lightly. There’s a lot of good in Clinton, a lot of positive relationships I’ve built which makes it difficult to walk away from some aspects of Clinton. Of course, I couldn’t do this job on a day-to-day basis without [executive assistant Mary Schettino], having somebody who gets it and we can share a laugh over a lot,” Kilduff said.

Speaking with the Harbor News after the meeting, Kilduff echoed the same sentiments.

“Serving as a town manager can be a challenging job and it can sometimes be hard to measure progress as initiatives take a long time to move ahead. But having the support and benefit of the insight from Town employees has made working in Clinton rewarding. It is important to understand who you are working with to solve problems. I can also say that I have laughed out loud most days. Having a sense of humor and perspective are key part of the jobs. I am grateful for the opportunity that Clinton gave me and support from many in the community,” Kilduff said.

Kilduff will start his new position as town administrator with the Town of Weston on Feb. 21, After Kilduff announced his decision to leave, the Town Council began a search for his replacement. As a first order of business, the council announced it had hired search firm Randi Frank Consulting LLC to asset with finding a new manager. The council also voted to hire Richard Brown to serve as the interim manager effective Feb. 19.

Allen said Brown will work 21 hours in Clinton and seven hours virtually. He will be paid $140 an hour, according to Allen. Brown is a member of Randi Frank Consulting LLC.

In the meantime, the council is working on developing a profile on what the town needs and what stakeholders are looking for in the next town manager. Once that is complete a national search for candidates will be launched.