LISBON — Like many Americans these days, Regan Pride is looking nationwide for work after having lost what he thought was secure employment.

But there's a difference: Most people whose jobs have vanished since the economy tanked in 2008 were not given the boot by a 2-to-1 vote of their fellow townspeople.

Pride, 50, said Friday he is working not to be bitter about this year's events in the town where his wife grew up.

“I guess I would have to say it's hard not to be. It was disappointing, and it's hard for me to believe it was anything but personal,” the Los Angeles native said in calm, measured tones.

It's been five months since Lisbon voters decided, 83-47, to do away with the per-year job of town administrator that Pride had held for 5½ years. The full-time position paid $55,000 per year when he started, and $58,000 when he left, he said.

He was forced to depart his job at the end of June. That's when the Lisbon Board of Selectmen decided it would act on the wishes of voters at the March annual town meeting.

The transition was completed last week when a contracted consultant — former Littleton tax collector Joe Wigget — took over, but for just two days per week.

Right now, according to all involved, it's still unclear which of Pride's former duties Wigget will handle.

“We're still trying to flesh that out,” Wigget, who lives in Landaff with his wife, Cheryl, said Friday. At 70 and with 45 years under his belt working for Littleton, Wigget acknowledged he's no longer seeking to turn in a full week's work.

“There are a lot of things I'm going to do for them, but it's only going to be two days a week,” he said.

“We're not exactly sure, yet,” Ruth Robar, selectboard chairwoman, said Saturday, when asked about Wigget's duties.

“We've cut down the requirements, and we're going to add duties as his time allows; we don't know what he can accomplish within the time frame.”

The town was introduced to Wigget through Carol Coppola & Associates, a Candia-based financial management firm that provides services to Lisbon on an as-needed basis. They include making sure the town is in compliance with state financial requirements, according to Robar.

The vote on the administrator's position was non-binding. But, said Robar, given the strong result, town officials didn't see that they had much choice but to eliminate the job.

“We felt that was the wishes of the town. I really don't know whether it was personal — that's the truth,” she said.

Asked if there had been a particular incident she could recall that might have sparked the move to oust Pride, Robar said there wasn't, that she knew of.

Asked that same question earlier this year in the days leading up to town meeting, Pride pointed to a lawsuit over the town's attempt to repair a sewer line on private property. He said there was some hard feeling in town over that issue.

And school board member Barry Liveston, a signer of the petition to get the question on the town meeting warrant, said at the time the call for the vote was a “reflection of the state of local government.”

He said there was dissatisfaction with the condition of the roads at a time when state funding to New Hampshire's communities was dwindling. Liveston added that an administrator's duties should include helping direct the selectboard as to where municipal money would be best spent in the town of about 1,700 residents.

The same night they recommended cutting the administrator's job, voters boosted road repair money from $100,000 to $300,000 in the annual budget.

“This has left a bad feeling with me,” Pride said. “I felt I gave a lot to the town.”

bhookway@newstote.com