Kennebunkport Town Manager Laurie Smith has resigned effective Dec. 4.

Smith, who has been a town manager since 2014, is leaving to serve as the city manager of Biddeford.

“This decision brings both excitement for a new professional chapter and a deep appreciation for the community I’ve had the privilege to serve for nearly thirteen years,” Smith wrote in her resignation letter to members of the Kennebunkport Selectboard.

“This work has been much more to me than a position. It has been an opportunity to build lasting relationships, help navigate difficult challenges, and contribute to the future of a town that will always hold a special place in my life.”

The selectboard will hold an executive session on Thursday to discuss personnel issues.

Smith cited accomplishments that include strengthening the town’s long-term financial and capital planning, securing $12.5 million in outside funding, investing in infrastructure and working to prepare the coastal community for flooding and severe storms.

“I am proud of what we have accomplished together,” she wrote.

She specifically cited the Pier Road Causeway improvements and the Cape Porpoise Pier reconstruction. Smith’s letter also mentioned the creation of the Heritage Housing Trust, now called the Neighborhood Housing Trust.

Smith has served her entire professional career in Maine municipal management. Before serving in Kennebunkport, she was the town manager of Wiscasset. She also has managed the towns of Boothbay and Boothbay Harbor. In 2021, the Maine Town, City and County Management Association recognized her with its Linc Stackpole Manager of the Year Award.

Biddeford differs from Kennebunkport in several ways. Biddeford is larger with a population of 22,552 compared to Kennebunkport’s 3,629 residents. Biddeford operates under what the Maine Municipal Association described as a council-mayor-administrator rule, characterized as a “strong mayor” form of government. This differs from Kennebunkport, which operated under the town meeting-selectboard form of government, which is the state’s most common form.

Smith’s letter says she will work with the selectboard and department directors on the transition.