Ledyard — Longtime mayoral assistant Mark Bancroft, who served for two decades under three different mayors, says he will be retiring in March.

One of the longest-serving employees at Town Hall, Bancroft wears many hats: as the mayor's assistant, he fields the many complaints and questions called in to Town Hall, is director of administrative services for Town Hall, serves as the town's blight officer and manages the Gales Ferry Landing business incubator property, among others tasks.

Bancroft came to the area through his naval service, spending two decades in the Navy as a yeoman on submarines and serving his shore duty at the Naval Submarine Base helping staff submarines for various operations.

After working on a sailboat for a brief stint, he began as the administrative assistant for the Town Council in 1990, and built up a deep knowledge of the town charter and town history.

He worked there for several years until leaving to sail the Caribbean for a few years. When he returned to Gales Ferry, then recently elected Mayor Susan Mendenhall, a friend of Bancroft, brought him with her to Town Hall.

In an interview at Town Hall on Friday, Bancroft said he was "not driven by job security,” which he said was part of what made him suitable for the at-will mayoral assistant job. “I’m driven by wanting to do the best I can."

During her tenure, Mendenhall and Bancroft began an exercise he called "yards and docks”: impromptu trips through town to take a look around and talk to residents.

"I drive around looking for trash and broken limbs," he said, driving slow in his town vehicle so he can stop and check in with residents along the way.

To this day, he usually takes a few hours each week to drive to a different area in town.

During his time in Mendenhall’s administration, he supplemented his attention to town residents with a quick wit, she said.

“Mark made it fun,” she said. “He's got a very easy-going disposition, and he knows when to laugh."

After an absence of a few years, he then returned to Town Hall under Mayor John Rodolico from 2011 to 2015, remaining there after the election of Mayor Michael Finkelstein in 2015.

Rodolico said he credits Bancroft’s “invaluable" knowledge of people, regulations and history for helping him get things done during his term as mayor.

"When I had an idea or something, the first person I would run it by would be Mark," Rodolico said.

“He puts things into perspective,” Finance Director Marcia Hancock added, noting that “nothing is too serious for him ... you instantly warm up to him.”

Bancroft said he has a habit of picking up roles that are "not within the job description,” he said.

When changes came to the town’s trash service, prompting many questions from residents, Bancroft became the town’s unofficial “trash czar,” answering questions and becoming intimately familiar with the trash contract.

After researching business incubators and the potential of the Gales Ferry Landing property, he took over as property manager. And when blight became a hot topic in town, Bancroft took on the blight officer role, as well. His most recent task has been researching the possibility of converting the town’s streetlights to LEDs.

“He didn't just identify problems, he rolled up sleeves and got things done ... the town is going to miss him,” Rodolico said. “They don't make many people like that."

Over his two decades in Town Hall, beyond his own job, he said Town Hall’s productivity doubled owing to the huge role that technology now plays in town functions such as record-keeping and licensing, he said.

But his encyclopedic knowledge of town history and beyond will be missed, Town Council Chairwoman Linda Davis said.

"When I needed to recall a name, trying to recall a name from 20 years ago, he knew who they were,” Davis said.

"He knew the process, the timeframe, the methods and the rationale" of every town service, Finkelstein said. "Really, he is a key piece of keeping the town running smoothly."

As an avid runner who ran in the Boston Marathon two years ago, Bancroft said his immediate plan in retirement is to train for an upcoming ultramarathon in the Berkshire Mountains. He also plans on devoting more time to renovating a home he recently purchased in Pawcatuck with his wife, as well as putting in a large vegetable garden.

But he will miss working at Town Hall.

“It’s a great job, it’s a rewarding job,” Bancroft said. “You can go home and say, 'I helped someone today.’”

n.lynch@theday.com