New Gloucester’s new town manager has little experience with town government, but plenty with the community he will now help run.

The Board of Selectmen voted unanimously Monday to name Sumner Field of Gray to the post, replacing Rosemary Kulow, who left the position in September. Field, who lived in New Gloucester for more than 20 years before moving to Gray, starts Monday, Dec. 8. His starting salary is $65,000.

“He comes from a lot of different areas, as far as his job experiences,” Selectman Nathaniel Berry said about Field, currently the auditor with the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices, an independent state agency that administers Maine’s campaign finance laws. “His ethics are very high. He’ll be able to get along with all the facets of the town, including the selectmen and town employees. “

There were more than 70 applicants for the position, Berry said. After selectmen narrowed the field to six, two of the remaining candidates withdrew. The board interviewed two of the remaining candidates and selected Field.

Before working for the state commission, Field was the business manager for Pine Tree Telephone in Gray, owned a tax preparation and business consulting firm, and was a president and board member of the Gray-New Gloucester Business Association.

Because Field has such a varied background, his lack of municipal government experience was not an issue with selectmen, Berry said.

“If Sumner had been a younger person without all the experience, I would have said that maybe we should be looking to someone else,” said Berry. “But when you look at his resume, I felt very comfortable that he can manage the town. I couldn’t say that about everybody.”

Field said Tuesday that New Gloucester was a special town, with a distinct rural character that needs to be protected while the town moves forward.

“There is a sense of tradition here, understanding that we are in the 21st century,” said Field. “Residents want to maintain the character of the town and community while appreciating that the world changes around us.”

Field could be a wonderful addition to that community for a long time to come, said Berry.

“He’s a local person,” said Berry. “I don’t look at Sumner as using New Gloucester as a stepping stone and leaving in two years. I think you are going to see him fit right in.”