MADAWASKA, Maine – Madawaska officials want to hear what qualities residents are looking for in a new town manager before hiring one.
The town will host a public meeting at 6:30 p.m. on March 19 at the Madawaska High School cafeteria in which officials will listen to recommendations for filling the position.
The meeting is part of the town’s larger plan and timeline to hire a new town manager, which officials discussed with attorney Don Gerrish, during a March 4 meeting.
Madawaska’s last manager, Gary Picard, served the town for about seven years before resigning in early February. Picard cited wanting to enter a new work-phase of his life in his resignation letter.
He continued to serve in an advisory capacity until his final day on March 5, just one day after the town hired Dan Foster to be interim manager. Foster served as Fort Fairfield’s town manager from 1998 to 2013, after which he retired. He most recently served as interim manager in Fort Fairfield in 2023.
Officials on March 4 discussed how residents could be involved in the selection process. Gerrish recommended that the board make the final decision, but said that the town could have an advisory committee consisting of residents. He recommended keeping the number of members low, as confidentiality can sometimes be an issue when more people are involved.
Board vice-chair Jason Boucher said the board was planning to interview all the candidates first, and then involve the community once it’s down to a few finalists.
“Once we narrow it down to a certain number, then we would get involvement from the community,” he said. “They can attend those final interviews. They can ask some questions that maybe we didn’t think of, and then we would still make that decision based on how that meeting went.”
Gerrish said this plan could work, and said the next steps would be to determine how large the group would be and if they would conduct interviews with candidates with, or without, the select board. Once this is decided, officials can let candidates know about the process.
Boucher said the board was considering that the committee consist of a school board member, chosen by the school board, a business owner, and a member of the public at large. He said that, in his opinion, the board should not be involved in selecting members of this public group, as it could show favoritism.
The board then set the date for the March 19 meeting. Before the 6:30 p.m. meeting, Gerrish will come to Madawaska and interview town staff to assess what they are looking for in a new town manager.
The town then discussed how they will advertise the position. Officials said they would like to focus on digital advertising and not go beyond New England. Gerrish recommended Massachusetts and New Hampshire, in particular, as they have a large number of municipal managers.
He recommended that the board go through the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) to advertise, which would cost $450 per month and reach anyone searching for a town manager opening.
Officials and Gerrish then discussed how to word the job posting. He suggested including a salary range and a brief description of the town of Madawaska that includes notable businesses, the community’s values, and any other noteworthy information that paints a clear picture of the community.
The board will also have a regular meeting in the Madawaska High School cafeteria at 5:30 p.m., one hour before the public meeting.
