EASTPORT, Maine — The Washington County seaside community of Eastport is in the market for a new city manager.
Jon Southern recently informed the city council in an executive session that he’ll be stepping down from the position when his current contract expires on April 26, 2013. Southern, 39, has been Eastport’s city manager since April 2010.
“I’m burned out,” Southern said Tuesday. “The average ‘life expectancy’ of a city manager in the state of Maine is 18 months, and I made it clear when I was hired that I wasn’t going to make a career of it. I’ll be turning 40 in February, and I figured that’s a good turning point. After this job ends, I desperately need to take some time off, and I am looking forward to new challenges.”
Southern previously worked as a defense contractor and a management consultant. He’s uncertain where he’ll next hang his professional hat.
“I fix things,” he said. “I do projects, and I fix things. Eastport is a small community with a huge infrastructure, including an airport, a deep-water port, the downtown, the breakwater and quite a large network of streets and roads. It’s not easy to manage this quite sizeable infrastructure on a small-town budget.”
During his tenure, Southern was instrumental in attracting grants collectively totaling more than $2 million, including a $1.2 million grant for an upgrade of the city’s wastewater treatment system.
“We were able to get a $300,000 grant for the fire station, $150,000 for the overlook park project and almost $1 million in grants for improvements at the airport,” he said. “There have been many other grants, and the city is well on its way in recovering from the $1 million deficit that I inherited.”
Southern said in 2010 he could count on one hand the number of businesses in the city’s downtown. Eastport’s 19th century rows of commercial buildings now make up a national historic district, and Water Street storefronts are nearing full occupancy, he said. He has also seen expansion of existing businesses, including a doubling of the size of the IGA grocery store and growth in the operations of Ocean Renewable Power Co., which fabricates underwater electrical turbines in Eastport.
“We’re also seeing development at the Boat School, which we were finally able to get off the taxpayers’ backs,” he said. “Eastport certainly has a long way to go, but I think the priority now should be working to get taxes down.”
“I see Eastport now as being at the top of a roller coaster,” Southern said. “It can roll backwards, or keep on going. I think there’s enough momentum to continue on.”
Southern’s annual salary is $55,000, which he says “isn’t nearly enough for the responsibility, hours and stress” that comes with the territory. He expects the city council will formally advertise the position in February, recruit candidates in March and have his replacement selected before he departs in late April.
“Hopefully I can work at least a few weeks with the new manager,” Southern said Tuesday. “When I came I had no interaction with the previous manager. I’m coming in one door and he’s out the other. I spent probably the first year just figuring things out.”
Eastport City Council President Bob Peacock said Tuesday he was saddened to hear of Southern’s decision and described Southern’s tenure with a litany of superlatives.
“I am so pleased with what’s been accomplished in the last three years, and a big part of it has been Jon,” Peacock said. “I’ve been very, very pleased with the work he’s done, and the amount of grants that have come in has been phenomenal. This was his first job as a city manager, and he had a lot to learn, but the proof is in the pudding.”
Peacock was ousted by the voters. Southern knew he was next. People had grown tired of the way they “fixed” things. Kevin Raye is looking for work too.
Now some positive things might have a chance to develop.
Gee; a lot of what’s happened sounds positive to me. Of couse, I’m not aware of the local politics either.
Yeah, Larrry. Lots of the good old boys sitting down with a box of donut holes.
At least Southern is Humble chap.
Humble, my arse! The guy has done more than any other 40 yr old in history and he will let you know it.
I think the loss of Jon Southern as city manager will be a big loss for the city……he has done a great job since he has been here….i wish him good luck in the future.
“GOOD”. I always thought he was different and how that he has more than five fingers on one hand, that is different.
A very faithful “Peacock” pet, one has as much BS as the other.
Sounds like he should be in Barnum Bailey as an act with all those fingers on one hand. Of course he pats himself on the back for all the new businesses in town. Peacock and Southern synonymous with the word BS – a good pair.
Don’t matter who is city manager………people will continue to find faults with them….just like they did Bud……..you can make everyone happy.
Bud Finch was/is a crook.
Look it up , check it out.
Where was he before he came to Eastport ??
I can’t believe the BDN would print this piece of junk. It is odd that the BDN and Walsh would take sides in this, but Southern had no training for anything like this job. He was in way over his head. He spent hundreds of thousands of dollars more than he was budgeted, and couldn’t figure out where it went. He had little or nothing to do with the grants that the city got, and his management style has gotten the city in two lawsuits that will cost the city more hundreds of thousands of dollars. Because of his lack of financial training, he stuck us with a 6.5% tax increase, and then whines about not getting paid enough. I wonder if the BDN can get sued if some other town swallows this PR article and then finds out what the truth is.