Public meeting best chance to guide Auburn manager hiring, Gerrish says
January 25, 2012
AUBURN — If people have any ideas about what they want in the next city manager, now is the time to speak, interim Manager Don Gerrish said.
"There's a certain point when the process is going to become confidential," Gerrish said Monday. "So this really is the best time for people to talk to you and really explain what they are looking for." Gerrish and the city will host a public comment period at 7 p.m. Thursday to discuss the manager's job.
Gerrish said he hopes to learn just what residents want to help guide the search process.
"What kind of experience do you want?" Gerrish said. "All the good candidates are going to have some backgrounds, but what is the emphasis? What do they really want them to focus on? Do you want someone with a good sense of humor, or 10 years experience as a municipal manager. Do you want someone who is financial, who concentrates on economic development?"
The city has also posted a questionnaire for residents on the city's website, www.auburnmaine.org.
Gerrish said councilors are expected to settle on a new manager candidate late in April, but there's a lot of work to go before they get there.
The city hired Gerrish and consultants Eaton Peabody to lead the search. Gerrish plans to take information from Thursday's meeting and comments from the Web survey to create an advertisement that will run regionally.
"But it's also valuable for the candidates, and for the new city manager," Gerrish said. "They get to see what the community is saying. It works in both directions."
That ad should begin running in mid-February, with applications due March 9. Gerrish and the consultants would review the applications, creating a list for councilors to pick from. They'd begin interviewing candidates in early in April.
The previous City Council voted to terminate City Manager Glenn Aho's contract in October. They voted in November to hire consultants Eaton Peabody to lead the search for Aho's replacement and manage the city in the meantime.
Courtesy of the Sun Journal
By Scott Taylor, Staff Writer
