HOLYOKE – Mayor Alex Morse has returned his contract for his new job as the town manager of Provincetown and has placed his home on the sales market.

The Select Board in Provincetown released Morse’s contract to the public on March 18. His base pay is $185,000 and he will receive 160 hours of vacation, the potential of two merit raises, 120 hours of sick time, a flex schedule, an annual housing stipend of $15,000 and moving expenses of $5,000. The contract will be in force from April 5 to April 5, 2024.

Morse’s home at 11 Linden St. a 19th century brick row house is now listed for $199,999.

Morse formally resigned from his job on March 12 with his last day being March 26. In his resignation letter submitted to the city clerk,  Morse assumed that City Council President Todd McGee would assume the position of interim mayor, however McGee has declined.

Morse wrote, “This letter is to inform the city of my intention to resign from the position of mayor on Friday, March 26th, 2021 at 4:30 p.m. EST. I have officially accepted the position as town manager of Provincetown and I will begin that role on April 5th. As I embark on my next chapter, I will no doubt bring with me the lessons I have learned leading Holyoke these last 10 years.

“When I reflect on the past decade, I’m proud of what we’ve been able to achieve. I think of the neighborhoods that have seen record levels of new investment, the parks we’ve renovated and the new parks we’ve built, and the new housing completed and in progress. I think of the Holyokers from all different backgrounds and walks of life who got involved in the civic life of our community for the first time.

“Today, buildings that were once vacant are home to restaurants, housing, and artist spaces. Our population is growing again, and so is our tax base. We’ve empowered local entrepreneurs to create their own businesses. We’ve improved educational outcomes for our students and we’ve made the city safer than it’s been at any time in a generation.

“We fought to open a needle-exchange program, reducing overdose deaths and the spread of disease. We reduced our carbon footprint and closed the state’s last remaining coal plant. We welcomed the burgeoning cannabis industry, boosting the local economy and taking a stand against the war on drugs. In the face of federal pressure, we maintained our status as a sanctuary city, and made our whole community safer as a result.

“But what I’m most proud of is the spirit of community we’ve nurtured – the way we’ve opened doors to people and communities that long felt shut out and left behind. We built a government that reflected and represented everyone, and not only those who traditionally had access.

“For 10 years, we’ve worked together – not always agreeing, but ultimately finding ways to lift the city up and move us forward. And I am so deeply honored that the people of Holyoke voted to send me back to Room One time and time again, allowing me – at the young age of 32 – to leave office as the fourth longest serving mayor in our city’s history.

“In important respects, the city’s next mayor will govern a city that is stronger – more prosperous, more decent, more just – than it was 10  years ago. But challenges do lie ahead. And while I will no longer be mayor, I stand ready to assist in the transition as well as when I officially leave office. I will forever be invested in our city’s success, regardless of who occupies the Mayor’s Office. I have full faith in Council President Todd McGee, who will become acting mayor upon my resignation, and I thank him for his willingness to embrace this role at a critical time in our city’s history. I also want to extend my appreciation to the dedicated public servants at City Hall, along with the elected members of the City Council and School Committee that I have worked alongside.

“I want to end by thanking the most important people in my life, my family, who without, I would have never had this opportunity. My parents – two kids who grew up in our city’s public housing projects – never imagined that their son would one day be their city’s mayor. And they have helped me realize, as special as the title of mayor has been, that the most important and meaningful title I will ever hold is being a son, a brother, an uncle, and a friend.

“Thank you for the honor of a lifetime,  Alex B. Morse, Mayor.”