BANGOR, Maine — The city’s search for a new fire chief is down to two finalists, according to municipal officials.
Assistant City Manager Bob Farrar said Monday that the new chief could be confirmed by the City Council by the end of the month.
Farrar declined to identify the finalists. He did say that one is employed by Bangor Fire Department and the other is from another department, but he declined to say whether that was in Maine or elsewhere.
City Manager Cathy Conlow likely will sit down with city councilors in executive session on Monday, Jan. 12, to go over the two options and maker her recommendation to the council. If the council approves, city officials will meet with the “prefered candidate,” and iron out the details of an employment agreement, Farrar said.
The council is expected to confirm the hire officially during its meeting on Jan. 26. The winning applicant will lead an 88-member fire department and oversee an $8.3 million department budget.
In early December, the city started culling the 26 applications it received for the position. Those applications included five members of the department.
“We think we had a good field to choose from,” Farrar said.
Bangor’s last fire chief, Scott Lucas resigned officially in early December, three months after announcing he would not seek a continuation of his two-year contract. A few days after that announcement in early September, city officials placed Lucas on nondisciplinary paid administrative leave, where he spent the rest of his time as chief.
Neither the city nor Lucas have disclosed the reasons behind Lucas’ leave or resignation.
Bangor Fire Department’s four assistant chiefs have been performing the duties of the chief since September.
Lucas was hired in December 2012 after a 21-year career with the Westland Fire Department in Michigan, where he served as assistant fire chief. He was picked from a field of 49 applicants.
The salary for the new chief has yet to be determined, but when Lucas was hired his annual pay was $81,754.
Follow Nick McCrea on Twitter: @nmccrea213.