Michael T. Paulhus woke up unemployed on Nov. 7, 2007 after voters decided the day before not to re-elect him to a fourth term as first selectman of the town of Windham. The defeat lead to a five-month stint as interim town manager in the town of North Branford. A requirement that he move to town to accept the full-time position made him decide it was time to end his long career in public service.
It was time for a move to the financial sector. “I’m young enough,” said Paulhus, 43, “and thought it would be a good point to start a new career.” Goodbye to being on duty seven days a week as a municipality’s chief elected official. Hello to a more structured life that allowed him to leave the office behind.
Paulhus turned to the financial sector because he had always been interested in the stock market and investments. Plus, it enabled him to use his publicly honed skills of working with people, which he considers an important part of his professional background. “I went from helping the community as a whole to helping individuals find their retirement solutions,” said Paulhus, who is now a financial consultant with RBC Wealth Management in Hartford.
His record of public service extends back to his post-college days when he was a Peace Corps volunteer. Paulhus was a fisheries volunteer in Tanzania. (He has an undergraduate degree in biology.) He helped the natives raise the fresh water fish Tilapia that is indigenous to the area.
After the Peace Corps, he studied for his masters in international affairs with the idea of working international development. He further studied for his masters in public administration at the University of Connecticut. While there, the job of town administrator opened up in his native Windham. He set aside his pursuit of international development and focused on fixing potholes. “I’ve always considered going back to international development at the end of my career,” he said.
Politics has been left behind while he pursues his new career that started this past fall. “I’ve put myself into my career 100 percent. You can spread yourself too thin,” he said. Paulhus does find time, though, to serve as an incorporator of Windham Community Memorial Hospital.
