ROCKLAND, Maine — The two finalists for the city manager job have a variety of experience in municipal government.
The Bangor Daily News contacted the pair Tuesday. The search committee — consisting of the five city councilors and former councilor Dr. Eric Hebert — has not released the names to the public but sources have identified the two finalists.
Boothbay Town Manager James Chaousis II; and Jeffrey Kobrock, the executive director of the Midcoast Economic Development District are the finalists, according to the sources.
Kobrock declined to comment when contacted Tuesday. He said the manager search is a confidential process.
Chaousis said Wednesday any statement would need to come from the search committee.
City Councilor William Clayton, who chairs the search committee, said last week that the panel would conduct another round of interviews after New Year’s Day. On Tuesday, Clayton said one candidate was willing to have his name released but that he was uncertain about whether it was agreeable with the second candidate.
There were more than 100 applicants for the job. The consultant company Dacri Associates recommended six candidates to the search committee. One candidate withdrew before the interviews were held.
Chaousis has served as town manager in Boothbay since being appointed by the Board of Selectmen in November 2010. The town manager in Boothbay also serves as the tax collector, treasurer, road commissioner and economic development director.
He is a Maine native who served in the Marines during the Persian Gulf War. Before being hired in Boothbay, Chaousis served as town manager in Livermore Falls.
Kobrock has been executive director of the Midcoast Economic Development District since August 2011.
He served as city manager in Gardiner from 2000 to 2009 and before that was the city’s economic development director from 1995 to 2000. Prior to that, Kobrock was general manager of radio stations WERU, WEOS, and KVMR from 1981 until 1995.
If one of the two finalists is hired, they would succeed Tom Luttrell who has been acting city manager since James Smith resigned in December 2013. Luttrell has not commented on whether he applied for the post. Luttrell also continues to serve as Rockland’s finance director, a post he has held since January 2007. He also served as interim city manager from September 2011 through April 2012.