After five years as Barrington’s town manager, Jim Cunha is stepping down.

Mr. Cunha shared a letter with members of the town council recently, stating his intention to retire on Dec. 31. 

“My five years as the Town of Barrington’s Town Manager has been gratifying and rewarding,” Mr. Cunha wrote. 

In an interview late last week, Mr. Cunha said he has loved working for the town and felt that now was a good time to retire. He said the position has presented plenty of challenges over the years. Mr. Cunha said dealing with the pandemic has been particularly difficult and forced him into a seven-days-a-week approach.

“It’s high-tempo, but I kind of like that,” he said. 

Mr. Cunha, a 30-year veteran of the U.S. Navy, said he announced his retirement as early as he did to allow the town council ample time to conduct a thorough search for the next town manager — the council is expected to discuss the upcoming town manager search and hiring process during its meeting on Sept. 8.

Mr. Cunha said some of the town council members appeared to be surprised by his announcement. 

In his letter, Mr. Cunha said all that was accomplished during his tenure as town manager was because of the “dedicated professionals that serve our town.” During his interview, Mr. Cunha spoke about his work building his staff — under Mr. Cunha’s leadership the town has added personnel at the fire department, the department of public works, and in certain departments at the town hall.

In his letter, Mr. Cunha listed some of the accomplishments of his “team.” These accomplishments included replacing the Peck Center building roof; the library, Tap-In, and Peck Center for Adult Enrichment renovations; marking the town’s rights of way with granite posts; establishing the Barrington Heritage Hall of Fame; instituting Barrington’s Day of Caring; executing a 30-year lease with the state for Haines Park; acquiring six acres of open space on George Street and the Harold Gibbs property on Sowams Road; and renovating Latham Park.

“Barrington is blessed with a remarkable team of municipal employees, elected officials and volunteers,” wrote Mr. Cunha. “It has been an honor to serve Barrington’s citizens. I hope I have left Barrington a better place and prepared to continue to thrive as a town and a community.”

Mr. Cunha, 64, has two adult sons and is expecting his first grandchild this fall.