HOULTON, Maine — A Houlton native who started his first business while still in high school has been appointed as the town’s interim manager.
The Houlton Town Council on Monday night voted to appoint Cameron Clark to the role following Jeremy Smith’s unexpected and immediate resignation at the last Town Council meeting on Jan. 13.
“Cam has been an entrepreneur since he was 13,” said Town Council Chair Jane Torres. “His grasp of finances is impressive and he was willing to step up and help the town.”
Smith, who relocated to Houlton from New Mexico, served the town for eight months after former manager Marian Anderson retired at the end of August 2023 following five years in the position.
At that time, Police Chief Tim DeLuca worked double duty as interim town manager until the town hired Smith at a salary of $110,000.
Clark’s salary has not been determined, said Torres, adding that they have not completed the memorandum of agreement yet.
Clark has been attending Town Council meetings for years and he said he decided to apply for the interim role to keep the town’s current momentum moving forward.
Rather than town staff or department heads having to juggle multiple roles as an interim manager, Clark said he is taking on the job full-time because he wants to see the town continue with important projects.
During his interim tenure, the staff at his businesses will keep things running in his absence, he said.
“I am looking forward to being able to serve the community in this role and still have my crew keep the businesses running. I won’t have any involvement in the day to day running of those businesses,” Clark said.
He holds a master’s degree in business from Husson University and has grown his high school lawn mowing business, Cam’s Lawncare and Landscaping, over the past 10 years.
“I have scaled that into a sizable company with levels of staffing that are going to take care of the business matters while I am serving the community and the town in the manager’s role,” he said.
During Monday’s Town Council meeting Clark thanked everyone for the opportunity to serve the town.
“It’s truly an honor to have the opportunity to serve in this role at a time of growth needed in this town,” he said. “I’m looking forward to the economic building opportunities this town has and working with all the department heads to manage all the good things we have going right now.”
According to Torres, the council will begin the town manager search in the near future.
