The Bangor City Council will vote Monday to appoint Debbie Laurie as city manager permanently after serving in an interim capacity for the past six months.
Laurie took over in August after Cathy Conlow left to become the executive director of the Maine Municipal Association.
Laurie had last served as finance director before stepping in as interim manager while the city conducted a nationwide search to find a replacement. That search lasted longer than expected, as the city initially hoped to hire a successor to Conlow by October.
Councilors interviewed a number of strong candidates during the search, but Laurie showed the qualities councilors wanted in a new manager during her work as interim manager, City Council Chair Rick Fournier said.
“During her tenure as Interim City Manager she was able to manage the day to day operations as well as work collaboratively with the Council and senior staff to navigate a number complex issues including the pandemic, ARPA funding and homelessness to name a few,” he said.