ROCKLAND, Maine — The public can offer advice later this month on what qualities the next city manager should have.
The City Council has scheduled a meeting for 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 19, at City Hall to allow the community to comment before the council begins its search for a new manager.
Assistant City Manager Audra Caler-Bell has served as interim manager since James Chaousis resigned at the end of June. Chaousis had served as Rockland’s manager for 15 months.
The council was criticized when it undertook the last search that resulted in the hiring of Chaousis. The council hired Dacri & Associates of Kennebunkport in August 2014 for $17,000 to recruit candidates. Mayor Louise MacLellan-Ruf had opposed the hiring as did citizens who said there was no need to spend that amount of money.
At Wednesday night’s meeting, Councilor Valli Geiger said she did not simply want the “same 15 candidates” that the Maine Municipal Association shops around to all communities that have manager vacancies. She said while she would want those names, she would like a larger pool.
In addition to holding a public forum to get public comments about what the council should look for in a new manager, the council also said it would post a survey on surveymonkey.com.
The council invited Joanne Billington, the city’s personnel advisory committee chair, to the meeting to discuss having that panel assist in the search. The personnel committee interviews candidates for city jobs but has not previously been involved in the selection process for the three top posts hired directly by the council — city manager, city attorney and city clerk.
Billington recommended the council create a search committee that consists of a member of the personnel board, a councilor and a citizen who is not on a city board.
Councilors also debated whether the names of finalists should be made public. Councilor Adam Ackor said the finalists should be told that their names will be released publicly before the successful candidate is hired. He said the public wants that information.
Councilor William Clayton said while he supports openness, he maintained that these people expect confidentiality. Ackor countered that the candidates can be made aware from the start of the council’s intent to release finalists names.
MacLellan-Ruf said the council should not release the names but make clear to the applicants that their names may get out to the public.
The council also is faced with filling a city attorney position. City attorney Kevin Beal announced in June that he would resign as of Sept. 30. His announcement came as Chaousis had demanded the council either fire Beal or end the manager’s contract.
Ackor, who was elected in June, suggested the council ask Beal if he would be willing to remain on the job until a new city manager is hired.
Beal said Thursday that he did not want to deal in hypothetical questions when asked if he would remain on beyond Sept. 30 if asked. He said he has not been asked.
MacLellan-Ruf said there are two law firms that have offered to step in to provide legal services to the city — Jensen Baird Gardner & Henry or Bernstein Shur in Portland. The city has used one of Bernstein Shur’s lawyers, Linda McGill, for personnel matters during the past year. The city has paid the firm more than $25,000 this year.