ROCKLAND, Maine — The City Council unanimously approved last week the hiring of a new assessor.
The council confirmed City Manager Jim Chaousis’ appointment of Doreen French on Feb. 8. She began work that same day, succeeding Dennis Reed who retired last month.
French previously worked as an assessing technician in Hermon and earned her certified Maine assessor designation in November 2015.
She is a member of the Maine Association of Assessing Officers, vice president of the Central Maine Association of Assessing Officers and a member of the Mid-Coast Assessors.
French grew up in Orland and attended Bucksport High School. After living in Rockport and Rockland for a couple of years after high school, she attended Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont, and earned an associate degree in business management.
She worked full time at Service Merchandise in the jewelry department, and after many years in jewelry sales and design, she worked in banking, including as a residential loan officer, according to the city manager.
Chaousis said in a news release that French’s deep background in real estate, and understanding of modern assessing practices, means she “can bring a strong working knowledge to that process, so that all taxpayers pay their fair share of local taxation.”