HAMPDEN, Maine — After longtime Town Manager Susan Lessard announced plans to step down when her contract expires at the end of June, town councilors agreed to hire Eaton Peabody Consulting Group to help find her successor.
Later this month, residents, businesspeople and local organizations are invited to get involved in that process during a public meeting set for 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 22, in the Town Council Chambers, according to a notice posted on the town’s website.
The point of the session is to develop a sense of what the community believes the major issues and challenges facing Hampden are and to enable the community to express what qualities, education, background and experience the new town manager should possess in order to effectively manage the town and to meet the issues and challenges it faces.
Eaton Peabody’s Don Gerrish will facilitate the public meeting, during which he will present an overview of the process that town councilors will follow in selecting the new manager.
Lessard, who has been Hampden’s manager for 14 years, said last month she plans to work through the end of her contract and will assist with the upcoming budget, the selection of a new public works director, and contract negotiations with the town’s police and fire unions.
Those unable to attend the meeting can email their thoughts to dgerrish@eatonpeabody.com.