Town Administrator Rich LaCamera announced his retirement at Monday’s Selectmen’s meeting. His last day of work is June 1.

LaCamera, 65, was hired as Rochester’s town administrator in 2007, and he has spent 32 years in municipal government. He started out as a finance committee member in Lakeville where he lives with his wife.

“I had a lot of fun though. I really did. I’ve met a lot of nice people here in Rochester,” he said. “I’ve had my challenges of course, but that comes with the territory.”

When it came to budgets, LaCamera guided the town through a rocky period that Selectmen Chair Naida Parker described as a "nightmare fiscally."

Recently in his tenure, LaCamera pushed the town to repair the roofs of Town Hall, the police station and the council on aging. In 2012, he said renovating Town Hall should be a priority. Otherwise, the building would be lost.

“You’re going to be awfully damn tough shoes to fill!” Parker said, adding that his skills will be sorely missed.

“You have provided us with so much support and so much information and so much guidance,” she said.

LaCamera said he considered announcing his retirement last year. However, he wanted to see the town through one more budget cycle.

In retirement, LaCamera said he looks forward to spending summers with his wife and grandkids in Maine.

“Town Administrator jobs are very demanding and very time consuming,” he said. “You’ve got to put a lot of hours in to do the job.”

The board will discuss the process of replacing LaCamera soon. LaCamera offered to take part in the hiring process and will send board members a job description of his position this week.