A mayoral moving day, after 6 years

It was six years ago that Sharon M. Pollard took her oath as mayor of Methuen, beginning the latest and possibly most demanding phase of her career in public service.

Now, Pollard faces a different kind of challenge: adjusting to the loss of her role as the city's top leader.

Because of the city's term limits, Pollard could not seek reelection to a fourth term last month. City Councilor William M. Manzi III, who won the Nov. 8 election to succeed her, takes his oath of office Monday.

Pollard, 55, concedes it was a strange feeling on Election Day when she didn't have any campaigning to do.

''Usually you are standing at the polls, going around to each poll, that kind of thing," she said. ''That felt a little odd, not doing that."

But Pollard said knowing from the beginning that her mayoral tenure could not exceed six years has made it easier for her to contemplate life after office, even though she doesn't yet know what that next stage holds.

''As long as you are understanding of that, then all of this is kind of a passage that just has to happen," she said.

''It's been a wonderful opportunity for me," she said of being mayor. ''I love working with people anyway. It's kind of the best job you can have if you love working with people." But with the six-year limit approaching, ''It's time to move on."

Before her mayoral stint, Pollard was a three-term state senator, from 1977 to '83, and energy secretary in the administration of Governor Michael S. Dukakis, from 1983 to '90. Later, she managed the government relations division of a Boston law firm, from 1991 to '94, and from then until she became mayor ran her own government relations business. From 1991 to '94, she and a partner also ran women's clothing store in Andover.

Just where she lands next remains to be seen.

''I have a few options I'm weighing," Pollard said of future employment. She said she plans to take the month of January off, ''and then I'm going to . . . take my time, and make a decision."

While she has no plans to run again for office, she hasn't closed the door on that option. A member of the Democratic State Committee, she plans to stay active in party politics.

Former state senator James P. Jajuga of Methuen said he does not know what Pollard will end up doing, ''but I believe whatever endeavor she pursues she will be successful at it."

Jajuga, a former state public safety director, credits Pollard with steering the city through the economic downturn that occurred after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

''I think she did an excellent job of bringing us through that period," he said.

Manzi, who has served with Pollard as a councilor, also gives her strong marks for her stewardship during tough financial times and for the road improvements and historic preservation projects she undertook.

''As we all came into office six years ago, we pledged we would raise the level of political discourse. I think we've accomplished that by and large," Manzi added.

But Pollard is not without her critics.

She came under fire in the past year when Brooks Pharmacy agreed to pay Methuen $650,000 as part of its effort to obtain a permit to build a store in the city. Pollard arranged for $200,000 of that amount to go to the city's Festival of Trees, which is run by a nonprofit that she helped establish.

City councilors criticized Pollard for not telling them about the gift, and later voted to take control of how money obtained in the permitting process would be spent in the future.

City Councilor Kenneth Henrick said that under Pollard, ''The city is clean and there have been a few things accomplished." But he said he has clashed with her because ''I'm a fiscal conservative and she's a liberal." He contended that she has not always spent money wisely.

''If I were a big spender, Methuen clearly would not be in the place it is today," responded Pollard, saying, ''We've been very conservative in our approach to government." She noted that the city has never asked voters to exceed the limits of Proposition 2 1/2, even to finance school building and library building projects.

Reflecting on her mayoral years, Pollard takes satisfaction in her sense that ''Methuen is a real success story. It's a well-managed city. In the face of really difficult financial times, with the state pulling back from local government, we've balanced our budget every year, we've invested in our work force, we've maintained and in some instances increased services." She said the city had also avoided fee increases or layoffs.

''It wasn't in a vacuum," she said, crediting city employees for their ideas.

Pollard also speaks with pride about road, water, and historic preservation projects, the completion of three school building projects, enhancements to athletic facilities, the conversion of a former school building to a YMCA, and efforts to expand open space, among other positives during her mayoral years.

She also has some disappointments.

Pollard said she wished she could have moved plans for the new high school further along and to make some progress toward the eventual replacement of the city's central fire station and its police station. She said financial constraints impeded progress on those fronts.

She said she had also hoped to advance the goal of improving Gaunt Square, saying that effort has been hampered by the difficulty of gaining a consensus from stakeholders about how to proceed.

Even as she steps down, Pollard said she plans to remain involved in the community. In addition to her elective service, she has been active with the Historical Society over the years, as well as the Festival of Trees organization.

''I enjoy being a volunteer," she said. ''I think when you live in a place, you need to give to that place."

And as one who has attained high-level positions in state and local government, Pollard remains a believer in the worthwhile nature of public service.

''It's very rewarding," she said. ''The ability to work with people to accomplish things, to enhance their lives, is very satisfying."