Nahant town administrator stepping down in November

NAHANT – Town Administrator Mark Cullinan has submitted a letter to the Town Clerk announcing his intention to retire, effective Nov. 5, after 17 years on the job.”I think I’ve accomplished about everything and more that I set out to accomplish in the town,” said Cullinan on Monday. “It’s time for some new blood with some new ideas, and I think that could be good for the town and I’ll be here to support them in any way that I can.”Cullinan said that he never expected to be Nahant’s town administrator at all, never mind for 17 years.An engineer by trade, Cullinan, 59, received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and then earned a master’s degree in Community Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, according to his profile on LinkedIn.The third-generation Nahanter said he was first hired by Nahant for local engineering projects when he was working with the state.Then he joked that he just kept agreeing to requests, saying yes to heading the Department of Public Works and then becoming town administrator.”It was sort of just happenstance, but that’s the way that life goes, I think,” Cullinan said.He also said that his decision had nothing to do with the failure of the $260,000 override proposal on Saturday.”It was coincidental,” he said, chuckling. “I had informed everybody well before the override on Saturday.”Indeed, not one of the selectmen said they were surprised when Cullinan told them Thursday (he submitted an official letter to Town Clerk Peggy Barile on Friday) of his decision to retire.”Mark and I talk all the time,” said Selectman Michael Manning.Colleagues in Nahant and the region all said that Cullinan would be missed.”He enhanced the reputation of how people viewed our business,” said Swampscott Town Administrator Andrew Maylor. “He represented Nahant very well inside and outside of the community, and was the kind of person who, when we sat around with peers or citizens, he was easy to talk to and people respected his authority.”Saugus Town Manager and Nahant resident Andrew Bisignani agreed.”Smaller communities have fewer residents and fewer businesses, but expectations for services are equally high,” Bisignani said. But “(Nahant’s) gutters are clean, there’s not a lot of potholes, trees are all trimmed and it’s been very well run over the years.Selectman Richard Lombard attributed Cullinan’s success to his personality.”People like him and he likes people,” said Lombard. (Cullinan) goes out of the way to make sure they are comfortable and he throws out congratulations to his team. People enjoy working for him. He’s probably one of the best managers that I’ve ever worked with, both professionally and personally.”Cullinan said that he will continue to live in Nahant and – after a little break – remain involved as a citizen. He cited the military housing development on Castle Road as one project that he would like to participate in.But Cullinan said it’s not a full retirement.”No, I’m not ready for that,” he said, saying that he is evaluating full-time job offers.Cullinan said that he plans to complete projects, such as the Short Beach Master Plan, dredging Bear Pond and the site design for the Nahant Life Saving Station, during his last four months.Cullinan cited accomplishments such as establishing the community center at the Valley Road School, renovating the Life Saving Station and Johnson School, and rebuilding the Town Wharf as particularly satisfying for residents and himself.But he said the most significant accomplishment was his improvement of the sewer system.Lombard said he remembered when a water or sewer break required shutting off water to the entire community. The system was completely renovated the system during his tenure, Lombard said, which included adding shut-off valves that could isolate problems so fewer homes were impacted.But Cullinan said that he is most proud of the staff he works with.”I think the town is really on solid footing on that regar