BY DARRELL HALEN

After two years on the job, Gerald Lewis has resigned as Windham’s police chief.

Lewis is leaving to become director of campus safety and security at Connecticut College in New London, Conn.
He resigned Thursday, Aug. 16, and his resignation goes into effect Friday, Aug. 31.

“I’m very sorry to see him go,” said Alan Carpenter, chairman of the board of selectmen who characterized his service as exemplary. “I think he provided the exact style and type and quality of leadership that the department needs.”

Lewis came to Windham in May 2005 from the police department in Windsor, Conn. He succeeded Bruce Moeckel, who retired about a month earlier.

Lewis was one of two finalists for the job, beating Mark Pearson of the Salem Police Department.

“Two weeks notice is a very short time,” said Selectman Bruce Breton, who favored Pearson in 2005 because he wanted to see a local person in the job.

In his resignation letter to selectmen, Lewis wrote that he was stepping down with “mixed emotions.”

“Although my decision has not been easy, this new position presents an unforeseen opportunity for both me and my family,” he wrote.

Lewis added that he hoped there had been positive change in the department and that he had made a difference in the community during his two years of service.

Margaret Crisler, another selectman, said she’s also sorry to see Lewis go.

“He’s a real leader, an excellent manager,” she said. “It’s a real loss.”

Selectmen could name Capt. Patrick Yatsevich as acting chief until a permanent replacement is found. 

Selectmen are expected to discuss soon their process for finding a new chief.