Page 8 The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch June 14, 2013 BerlinInks Deal With New Administrator By TRAVIS BROWN STAFF WRITER BERLIN – Berlin leadership cast a wide net this spring seeking a new town administrator, and Mayor Gee Williams confirmed Thursday that one has been found and will migrate to Berlin all the way from Colma, Calif. “As of yesterday, we have signed a contract with our new town administrator,” Williams said. “She will be visiting Berlin this weekend right through Monday to become familiar with the community and to spend time with the current town administrator [Tony Carson].” Carson’s replacement will be Laura Allen, currently the city administrator for Colma, Calif., a suburb of San Francisco with a population of about 1,800 residents. For reference, Berlin has about 4,000 residents. Williams was confident that moving to a larger town will be an easy transition for Allen, with the mayor stating that her application stood out from the dozens the town received after Carson announced his resignation early last month. “She had done a lot of research on Berlin and that impressed us as well,” Williams said of Allen. While Colma might be tiny, Allen said it was never dull. “There are very few cities in California that are smaller than Colma, but Colma has a very big heart,” she said, “so it’s been a great place to work.” Allen also has roots in the area. She is from Easton and still has relatives in Berlin. “One of her motivations to come here is that she’s been looking for a long time for the right opportunity to come back to the shore,” said the mayor. Born into a military family, Allen lived in Easton at a young age but moved frequently, often leaving relatives behind. Returning to the Eastern Shore is something of a homecoming, she said. “I’m really excited. I’ve enjoyed my time in California, but I’m looking forward to coming home,” Allen said. “This is a unique opportunity for me to be close to family members I haven’t been close to in a while and it gives me a chance to come back to the Eastern Shore which has always felt like home to me.” Allen has served as the Colma city manager since 2008 and has extensive experience in government finance. Before serving as city manager, she was assistant manager and has also served as finance director. “In Colma, as the assistant city manager, I’ve served as the finance director and I’m also the finance SEE NEXT PAGE DECK PARTY MONDAY, JUNE 17 DJ BATMAN 5 P.M. • DJ ROB CEE 9 P.M. HOT TUB LIMO 10 P.M. # $2.75 NATURAL LIGHT CANS $3.00 LEINENKUGEL’S SUMMER SANDY’S $3.50 CORONA LIGHT BOTTLES $6.75 DECK PARTY PLATTERS 60th St. In The Bay 410-524-5500 # www.fagers.com