CARIBOU, Maine — The International City/County Management Association recently presented Caribou City Manager Austin Bleess with the designation of credentialed manager, a title belonging to only 1,400 ICMA members across the world.
“I was very excited when I found out,” Bless said. “This is something I’ve been working towards for a few years. It has always been on my radar to become credentialed and it’s a high honor. It takes a lot of work to get there and I’m very excited about it; it’s another great accomplishment for the city of Caribou.”
ICMA members are required to have display commitment to high standards of integrity, have obtained a degree in public administration or a related field, and have a significant amount of experience as a senior management executive in local government.
Bleess has seven years of professional experience with city management, three of which were spent as city administrator of Winnebago, MN.
Bleess then moved to Caribou in 2012, and has served as the city’s manager ever since.
“My wife and I both loved being in the East Coast, and thought Maine would be a fun spot,” Bleess said when asked about moving from the Midwest. “When we had the opportunity to come to Caribou, we knew it would be the perfect spot. We’ve been here for a little over four years and the time has flown.”
In just four years, Bleess has joined several local organizations, including the Building Committee for the new preK-8 school, the Economic Growth Council, the Tri-Community Landfill Board of Directors, the Cary Medical Center Board of Directors, the Aroostook Municipal Association, and the Maine Town, City, County Manager Association. Bleess is also chairman of the Northern Maine Development Commission board and president of the Caribou Rotary Club.
“I did a lot of research on the Caribou community when I came here, and I was definitely excited about becoming a part of the Rotary when I saw how active they were,” Bless said. “It was an honor when they asked me to be on the executive board and helped me through the process of becoming president.”
The city manager adds that his recently awarded ICMA credential could potentially boost Caribou’s economic development efforts.
“Businesses want to know the community they go into is run effectively and efficiently,” Bless said, “and it will look good if they see that the city has an ICMA credentialed manager.”
