Michael D’Arcangelo, Gorham assessor, spoke about his time on the job Friday, his last official day before retiring.

GORHAM — Michael  D’Arcangelo has retired after nearly two decades in the town’s assessor’s office, the last 12 as the assessor.

During his tenure, D’Arcangelo, 68, has witnessed Gorham’s housing and population booms. The town grew from 14,141 people in 2000 to more than 17,000 now.

“You wonder what we’ll look like in 20 or 30 years,” he said Friday in his office at the municipal complex.

A few decades ago, Gorham was mostly an agricultural community, but D’Arcangelo noted a 2002-2007 building boom. “We’ve got more expensive homes,” he said. “A more affluent crowd.”

The town has 7,000 parcels of property and close to 5,000 dwelling units, he said.

He attributed much of the new influx to the quality of the schools, noting that Gorham voters are very supportive of education.

D’Arcangelo praised the Town Council for doing a good job in an era of a reduction of state revenue-sharing that places “extreme” pressure on towns. “There is pressure on fixed-income elderly,” he said.

A native of Gorham, he graduated from Gorham High School in 1967 before attending the University of Maine in Orono.

He became an administrative assistant in the assessor’s office in 1999 and succeeded David Sawyer as the town’s assessor in May 2005.

When D’Arcangelo, a Raymond resident, first landed a job in the assessor’s office, Phil Dugas, who previously was D’Arcangelo’s high school guidance counselor, was a town councilor. He said Dugas visited his office and advised him to wear a necktie. “This is an important job,” he recalled Dugas’ admonition.

From that day, he said he wore a tie to the office everyday while Dugas was a town councilor.

D’Arcangelo’s last day on the job officially as assessor was June 16. But he planned on coming back for a couple days this week to assist a Cumberland County assessing team that will take over his duties.

“I think the county has good, qualified people,” he said.

With his retirement, he said that some people are concerned about the office losing the personal touch. Typically the county will staff the office 2½ days a week while Kathryn Cummings, a clerk in the assessor’s office, will stay and be on hand two days each week.

D’Arcaneglo said he has enjoyed meeting the townspeople who have come to his office over the years.

“I’ve felt fortunate to be here,” he said. “Gorham is a great  town.”

While he’s retiring, it appears D’Arcaneglo will stay busy. He enjoys the outdoors – gardening, boating and skiing. He has an old camp that needs work, he said.

Robert Lowell can be reached at 854-2577 or rlowell@keepmecurrent.com