During his twenty-three years as Town Manager, David Cole has seen Gorham grow and overtake Waterville as the 15th largest town in Maine. In 2014, the federal census bureau rated Gorham as the fastest growing community in Maine. This growth has meant a lot of new buildings over the years such as a new Public Works building, several new schools, a new Public Safety facility, additional athletic fields as well as additional equipment all while maintaining a reasonable tax rate, one that is about average for this area.

Cole said this is a team effort and credits both good elected officials as well as good Town employees with accomplishing these improvements. He added that the Gorham Times has been a real help in keeping people informed about issues that have come up; something that is more of a challenge today where social media can quickly spread incorrect information.

Cole “hopes he is leaving Gorham as a better place than he found it when he started and believes being elected to the Town Council or School Board is an honorable and rewarding way to serve the community for those who are doing it for the right reasons.”

He notes that going forward, there will always be issues that will need to be addressed as communities are always changing for better or for worse. Cole anticipates it will be an ongoing challenge to deal with the issues that arise from growth and making sure our infrastructure can handle growth at a cost that is still reasonable for our citizens. The need to expand Gorham High School is one major challenge currently facing the Town.

Cole officially retired on September 1 but looks forward to still being involved in public life after retirement.