SWAMPSCOTT — Thursday marks S. Peter Kane’s last day as assistant town administrator, as he is set to return to his home region of western Massachusetts as the new town administrator of Whately.
Kane was first hired in Swampscott in 2011 as town planner. Since then, he served the town in many roles, including as community development director, human resources director, and eventually assistant town administrator and director of planning and land use.
Kane has been a driving force behind many initiatives led by the town. He named the redevelopment of the Hadley Elementary School into a boutique hotel, the acquisition of Pine Street properties to develop affordable veterans’ housing, and the effort to educate residents on the state’s MBTA zoning mandate as some of the projects he takes pride in.
Kane said he had to take hiatuses from working in town due to personal reasons. However, he never hesitated to return when he was able to.
“It’s definitely a love for the town,” Kane said.
Kane’s new venture will make it easier for him to be a caretaker for his parents.
“They’ve gotten older and they need a little more assistance,” Kane said.
He is confident that his career in Swampscott has prepared him for his first stint as town administrator in Whately, a town of approximately 1,600 people.
“What I’ve been working toward is to get up to this position,” Kane said. “I feel like I’ve got a lot of understanding and now I get to implement the skills that I’ve developed.”
Despite Whately being much smaller in population than Swampscott, Kane said the real difference in municipal government duties is based on whether the community is a town or a city.
“When I first started with Swampscott, it was great working for a smaller town as opposed to a city because there’s a lot more flexibility in assisting one department from the other,” Kane explained. “Because there are so few of you, you help one another out.”
Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald spoke glowingly of Kane’s contributions to the town, and hopes another stint with the town happens in the future.
“He is an indispensable colleague and somebody that I think we will miss dearly,” Fitzgerald said.
Fitzgerald said the town is considering internal and external options to replace Kane.
