MATTAPOISETT— Town Administrator Michael Gagne started off his Town Administrator’s report at the Feb. 26 Board of Selectmen meeting with the news that he will be retiring on Oct. 15 of this year, after working in Mattapoisett for ten years.

Gagne said that he found his time in Mattapoisett to be “interesting and rewarding,” adding that he has “enjoyed working with citizens” because of their excellent ideas.

“I have a lot of friends and good people I’ve grown to like working here,” Gagne said, adding that “I hope I will still be welcome after Oct. 15” should he want to occasionally help with town projects.

He considers his greatest accomplishment to be Mattapoisett’s financial plan and policy, a project that he said required the cooperation of many town departments.

Gagne said he was hired to his first government job a year and a half after he graduated college, and has worked for local governments ever since. This includes 35 years in government administrator or executive positions.

Chair of the Board of Selectmen Jordan Collyer said that he hopes to have a successor in place when Gagne leaves in October. Gagne is currently working on a schedule for hiring his replacement.

Collyer said that because Mattapoisett is a financially viable and secure town he believes it will be an attractive prospect for applicants, and the town may receive as many as 12 to 18 applications.

He said that the Board will discuss at their next meeting whether to appoint a screening committee to select the top three to five applicants for the Board of Selectmen to review.