HOULTON – For the most part, the atmosphere during a work session in the Town Office on Wednesday evening was one of ease and familiarity.

With handshakes and greetings of “good to see you again,” town councilors welcomed back Phil McCarthy, the newly appointed interim town manager who will return Aug. 30 to a post that he vacated nearly two decades ago.

The interim manager steps back into the position he held from 1981 to 1986, pending a replacement for Town Manager Peggy Daigle. Daigle resigned last month to become city manager in Old Town.

At the meeting, most of the councilors recalled McCarthy’s tenure in Houlton. Officials debated key issues such as budgeting and leadership with the new boss.

“I see my role as one of keeping the ship afloat without making any waves,” said McCarthy, who retired in February after 15 years as town manager in Kittery. “I am here to oversee and assist, and I will be relying very heavily on the department heads.”

Councilors identified McCarthy’s strong marketing background as crucial to advocating for economic development for the area, which most cited as their main priority.

McCarthy assured councilors that his door would always be open to them, but emphasized the need to work together.

“I feel strongly that I work for the council, not for individual councilors,” he said on Wednesday evening. “One of my strengths has been developing teams, and I think I did that when I came in 1981.”

Citing the town’s recent purchase of the former Houlton International Corp., Councilor Gerald Adams said that he hoped that marketing the property to prospective tenants would be “his [McCarthy’s] first priority.”

Other councilors cited coming contract negotiations and the town’s plethora of continuing projects as additional needs.

McCarthy also encouraged councilors to think about garnering additional surplus money to use both for individual departments and for the municipality.

Councilor Phil Bernaiche, who opposed McCarthy’s nomination last week, rejected the idea of having a financial cushion and continued his campaign for tax relief.

“The people are having a hard time out there and we probably have one of the highest mill rates in the state,” the councilor maintained. “Why do you want to have all of this surplus when people are suffering to pay their taxes?”

McCarthy’s suggestion stems from his experience in Kittery. When he arrived in 1989, the town had a scant $69,000 in surplus. When he retired early this year, it had mushroomed to $4.2 million.

During the meeting, councilors also discussed the search for Daigle’s successor with David Barrett, a representative from the Maine Municipal Association. The town voted last week to pay MMA $4,500 to assist them in the hiring process.

Barrett told councilors that he has already received one resume from an applicant interested in the town manager’s post.

The representative speculated on Wednesday evening that the search for a new manager could last up to four months.