Steve Eldridge began work as Vinalhaven’s new town manager on Dec. 1. Eldridge had been interim town manager in Bethel in western Maine for the six months prior to being hired on the island. He also has been town manager in Lisbon and Rumford.

The island job appealed to him because of the quality of life, he said.

“I’ve always picked difficult communities and this is not. I like that it’s a different way of life,” he said.

Eldridge and his wife plan on selling their home in Monmouth and moving to the island.