BRUNSWICK

Brunswick’s interim town manager on Monday made his case why he wants to take on the job permanently.

The town’s finance director for 26 years who has been acting in the town manager position since February, John Eldridge took questions from the public in a forum where many of the questions and topics differed significantly from a similar forum held Thursday for James Bennett, the other finalist competing for the job.

Bennett tackled issues ranging from an abrupt departure as Lewiston’s city administrator following an apparent fallout with that community’s city council to his dealings with Casella Waste Systems.

Bennett also discussed Tax Increment Finance agreements and similar issues, but those topics appeared more front-and-center during Monday’s forum with Eldridge.

“Capital seeks where it’s appreciated,” Eldridge said, noting that TIFs need to be explored on a case-by-case basis. “Sometimes you have to look at it and say 50 percent of something is better than 100 percent of nothing.”

Bringing development into town has benefits beyond easing the tax burden, including job creation, Eldridge said. He cited the former Navy base, which didn’t pay taxes to the town but brought other benefits, for example.

Regarding a deal made with a developer that saw the creation of the Brunswick Hotel & Tavern, Eldridge — who wasn’t directly involved with negotiations at the time — conceded that there were probably things the town could have done better, but that parties involved were negotiating in good faith. The deal, he said, helped make the developments along Station Avenue possible.

Bowdoin College, Eldridge said, was an “economic engine” with a good relationship with the town.

“I think people may think we’re taken advantage of ” by the college, Eldridge said. “They’ve gone through the planning process same as everyone else. … The college is a huge asset to the community.”

Eldridge remarked that the two years he spent in the working for an engineering firm before becoming Brunswick’s finance director gave him an important perspective.

“In government, we send out bills and get money back,” Eldridge said. “That’s not exactly how it works in the private sector.”

Eldridge described the town’s fiances as “kind of messy” when he came to Brunswick.

“We did what it took to work our way through it,” he said. “We straightened things out, put our financial statements in order, put in a computer system that worked. Eventually, we made it to the point where our financial statements were recognized for excellence.”

As interim manager, Eldridge said his role was that “you didn’t let the ship sink, you didn’t call for lot of initiatives.”

Should he become a permanent town manager, Eldridge said he would see the town adopt long-term financial and strategic planning, as well as to “build a bridge” with the authority redeveloping the former Brunswick Naval Air Station.

The town also needs to think long-term in how it handles facilities, said Eldridge, noting that buildings in Brunswick had suffered from a lack of maintenance.

“Government can’t be all things to all people,” Eldridge said. “But we can listen, and work collaboratively.”

Town Council Chairman Benet Pols said the council will determine what the next steps in the town manager search will be, and that the council has no hard and fast deadline for making a decision.

Both Eldridge and Bennett,

Pols said, cleared background checks and both candidates are “clean as a whistle.”

Reference checks, which Pols said are more subjective, are ongoing.

Meanwhile, Pols is encouraging residents to reach out to council members to share their thoughts on the two candidates.

Both candidate forums will be rebroadcast on Brunswick Cable TV-3.

What’s next?

TOWN COUNCIL Chairman Benet Pols said the council will determine what the next steps in the town manager search will be, and that the council has no hard and fast deadline for making a decision.

Both John Eldridge and James Bennett, Pols said, cleared background checks and both candidates are “clean as a whistle.”

Reference checks, which Pols said are more subjective, are ongoing.