WOODSTOCK — Retiring Woodstock Town Manager Vern Maxfield remembers well the moment that led him to a 37-year career with the town. In 1988, he said, “I was in McDonald’s one morning, having coffee and reading the newspaper. I saw an ad for a town manager in Woodstock. I thought, ‘That’s my job.'”

Maxfield, a native of Harrison, had been out of high school for 15 years, doing different kinds of work over that time. He worked at landscaping and mowing, and other odd jobs on farms, and drove trucks for Goodwin’s Furniture and Oxford Foods. He had gotten married to his wife, Brenda, in 1977, and they lived in Waterford.

Fate began to steer him toward municipal work in 1984 when a Waterford selectman suggested he run for that board. He got elected, served one term, then ran for town clerk and moved to that job.

He also worked for an appraisal company. By then, he had children and was looking for a better job.

That’s when he saw the Woodstock ad. He was up against 15 other applicants, but he proved to be right when he saw himself in that job. He started on Aug. 1, 1988.

Learning the ropes

He succeeded interim Town Manager Dewey Thayer, who trained him. It didn’t take long, given his experience in Waterford. On the first day, Maxfield recalled, “At 10 a.m., Dewey said, ‘You don’t need me. I’m going home, but I will stop by occasionally.”

Maxfield’s first Board of Selectmen included George Hooper, Dennis Poland, and Gary Wing. There was plenty of support from Hooper and former Selectman Ethel Davis as Maxfield settled in.

He proved to have the right touch as he quickly saw that the older generation, particularly, would test him. In one incident, a man came into the office to complain that a cemetery headstone had been damaged.

“What are you going to do about it?” the man asked Maxfield.

Maxfield asked which company he would like to fix it, called them, and got it done. It was the start of a good relationship. The resident would come back regularly, and they would tour the town together, looking at things. “He would tell me, ‘You drive, I want to talk,'” said Maxfield.

For the first six years of his tenure, he had the support of nearby family during the day, as by then he was living in Norway. “I had the opportunity to have lunch with my wife’s grandmother and uncle, Mrs. Theo McKeen and Bob Jr., who lived on Rumford Avenue until she died in 1994,” he said.

“This gave me a chance to be out of the office for lunch and an occasional catnap,” Maxfield said. He has always related best to the older generation. Now, he says, “I’m one of them.”

Highlights and challenges

Over his 37 years, there have been many milestones and projects that have been highlights for him.

“Overseeing the 200th town anniversary celebration [in 2015] was fun and rewarding with the help of so many citizens,” he said. He also cited restoring the Bryant Pond Spring, creating the Buck’s Ledge Community Forest, a library expansion, building a new town garage/fire station, and the new grandstand at the ball fields, and working with the Spruce Mountain Wind project.

And generally, he said, “helping to facilitate bringing the boards of selectmen from the four area towns together for meetings to discuss common issues. Helping people understand a situation that seems overwhelming and finding a solution.”

The most difficult task for him has been employee evaluations, because of working so closely with the people. A formal process was tried for a little while, but Maxfield didn’t find it productive.

“Working with them closely as I have, to me, is like an ongoing evaluation. Matters can be discussed as needed and handled,” he said. He noted that the road crew had largely been together for 20 years, and that they “evaluated themselves.” He joked that he had been manager so long that “I filed Josh’s birth certificate.” “Josh” is Road Foreman Josh Campbell.

Other challenges Maxfield has faced include dealing with the pandemic and generally making decisions “on issues that are dear to people.”

Then there was the Ice Storm of 1998.

“We were in the middle of the annual audit here [in the town office],” he said. “The power went off for 16 days. They got a generator going at the Fire Station, and we moved over there to finish the audit. The boys were out sanding, and trees were coming down all over the place. We let people know they could come to the station to get warm. We had a call list to check on older people. Some people were trapped for days.’

But he was able to drive home to Norway each day. He remembers on one of the first days driving to work in one area on Rte. 26, “there was just like a path through the trees.”

They were able to get the town office back operating via a generator after a few days.

There have been other weather challenges from other storms in all seasons, particularly from flooding, and they have become more frequent in recent years, he said.

He also said in recent years he has found the computer technology requirements of his job more demanding, and now is a good time to give way to a younger generation. He will be succeeded by Tonya Lewis.

Lighter moments

In addition to the challenges, there have been plenty of amusing and unusual moments, some involving animals. He remembered one occasion during a springtime election, when the door at the town office was propped open as voters came in to cast their ballots. Maxfield was in his office when he heard one of the ballot clerks scream. He hurried to see what had happened. “A snake had come in the door, and the clerk was on top of the table,” he said. “We got the snake turned around and out of there.”

Another spring, a snapping turtle lumbered up next to the door, dug a hole in a sandy spot, and laid eggs.

Relationships the key

Maxfield concluded his career after serving with a total of 16 selectmen. He believes he is the longest tenured manager serving one town in the state. He attributes his longevity to “relating to and understanding people, and what they want. Together, we have built a great team of volunteers on committees and employees that have helped the work of the town get accomplished.”

And what’s up next, as he enters retirement?

“I’m going to do nothing in August,” he said. In September, he and Brenda plan a trip south, sightseeing through the mid-Atlantic and southern states and ending up in Georgia to visit friends.

Down the road, he plans to garden more and do more woodworking, both of which he enjoys. And he doesn’t rule out serving occasionally as an interim town manager for towns that need one.

Of his 37 years in Woodstock, Maxfield said, “I had such wonderful relationships with people. I’ve so enjoyed my career.”