| Joanne Cole |
A small group of residents heard details Tuesday evening about the search for a new town manager and shared their thoughts with consultant Don Gerrish, hired by the Select Board to assist with the search. Gerrish, a town manager in Maine for decades and now a consultant with Eaton Peabody Consulting Group, said he has done more than 50 manager searches.
Earlier, Gerrish had met with town department heads; the public session in the Library would wrap up his day. He began by outlining the timetable for the search and next steps. The town’s ad for a new manager went up July 20, and Tuesday August 16 is the application deadline. The ad–posted nationally–seeks a minimum of five years’ experience as a town or city manager or similar position, and a degree in public administration or a related field, Master’s degree preferred. The salary range is between $100,000 and $120,000 depending on experience. Departing Town Manager Christine Landes was hired in May 2021 at an initial salary of $92,500.
Gerrish will compile the applications, do preliminary screening and contacts and recommend to the board whom he thinks they should interview. That first round of interviews could happen by late August, he said, and finalist interviews by mid-September. Gerrish will also conduct background checks, follow up on applicants’ references and credentials and participate in the interviews, ultimately negotiating the contract. Ideally a new hire would be announced by the end of September.
Gerrish cautioned that the hiring environment is challenging. “If we get 20 applications, we’ll be happy,” he said. Residents wondered whether New Gloucester’s high town manager turnover would affect search prospects. “It will be telling to see how many candidates apply, and where they come from,” Gerrish said. He cited a town’s location, history, and the salary offered as key factors in a manager search. “The reputation of the community precedes you out in the world,” he said, alluding to the ‘history’ element.
After outlining the process and timetable, Gerrish asked residents what they want to see in a town manager. But comments focused at least as much on concerns about the Select Board and how the board has managed the managers. That led Gerrish to redirect the discussion: “We’re going forward,” he said, and asked for qualities that would be positive in a new manager.
Residents cited responsiveness to the community, valuing communication, being results-oriented and creative, being willing to stand up to the select board when warranted, having the stamina to stick with it in a tough situation, and understanding the manager’s role in working with a board and with professional staff, among others.
Gerrish told the group that he also offers sessions for select boards on the respective roles and responsibilities of elected municipal officials and managers. He said he mentioned that possibility to the New Gloucester board. The residents on hand thought that could be invaluable here.
For now, though, the focus is on the manager search, incoming applications and the hope of finding the person who, as Gerrish put it, “fits your community.”
If you hurry, you can email your thoughts on what you’d like to see in a town manager to dgerrish@eatonpeabody.com. Given the tight timetable, Gerrish asked that any messages be sent to him “in the next day or two.”
