Mike McGovern
Rotary Club of South Portland-Cape Elizabeth, Maine
Mike serves as town manager of Cape Elizabeth, Maine. In this capacity, he is chief operating officer of a small 9,000 population community and oversees functions including police services, fire and emergency medical services, municipal planning, code enforcement, roads, environmental services, parks, a library, a museum, tax assessment and collection, municipal finances and intergovernmental relations. He also chairs a 40 community not for profit corporation that handles solid waste and recycling needs for the region.
The town manager position is appointed by the local council and the avergae tenure of a manager in a community is 7 years. Mike has served Cape Elizabeth since 1978 as assistant manager and as town manager since 1985. He began work in Cape Elizabeth two days after graduating from his university with a degree in public management. The council members and his co-workers have supported Mike as he assumed a number of Rotary positions including club president, district governor, international training leader, RI director, RI vice president, Rotary Foundation trustee and vice chair of the trustees. Mike also serves on the International PolioPlus Committee and has other Rotary committee assignments. He has been active in a number of non-Rotary organizations.
In both his Rotary service and in his work for the local government, Mike appreciates the focus on proper ethics, on service to others the promotion of exchanges to solve problems and to live peacefully.