Portland officials are reviewing proposals from two consulting firms hoping to coordinate the search for a new city manager.

On Monday, the committee charged with filling the vacant city manager position heard presentations from Municipal Resources Inc. and Eaton Peabody Consulting Group but deferred making a recommendation until late November, after staff survey some of the firms’ past clients. Municipal Resources, which is located in Meredith, N.H., said its “basic recruitment” services would cost $15,500 while representatives with Augusta-based Eaton Peabody estimated their total costs at $20,000 to $25,000.

“We were pleased by both presentations tonight,” Mayor Michael Brennan said afterward. “We think we have two solid proposals that were within the price range that we anticipated.”

Mark Rees stepped down as manager of Maine’s largest city in September after roughly three years on the job, citing a desire to pursue other personal and professional opportunities. Deputy City Manager Sheila Hill-Christian is serving as acting city manager and is expected to be a top contender for the job if she applies.

The four City Council members who make up the search committee opted last month to invite proposals from four specific New England consulting firms rather than cast a wider net. Both of the firms that submitted proposals specialize in assisting smaller to midsize New England communities with executive searches as well as other tasks. Portland would be both firms’ largest client to date for an executive search, representatives said Monday.

Donald Jutton, founder and president of Municipal Resources, said he anticipates that Portland would receive about 70 resumes from around the country in response to a job advertisement. But, in his experience, only 35 percent to 40 percent of that field would be qualified for the job. His firm would also reach out to potential candidates within the company’s “professional network.”

“I don’t think you will have any trouble attracting quality candidates,” Jutton said. “You are located in a part of the country where people want to live.”

Both Jutton and Don Gerrish with Eaton Peabody cautioned committee members that Portland will have to present candidates with a clearly defined role for the next city manager. In 2010, Portland voters approved a charter change that changed the structure and dynamics of governance within City Hall by allowing for the election of a mayor. Brennan, as the newly elected mayor, assumed the role as the city’s lead spokesman and set the policy agenda while Rees, who came on board after the charter change, handled the day-to-day administrative affairs of the city.

But those changes tested the balance of powers in City Hall and occasionally led to tensions, particularly between Brennan and other council members. Jutton said prospective candidates will want to know what to expect on the job and what happened during the past several years because, without hearing that information from the city, “people will fill in the void.”

The search committee is expected to recommend a search firm during its Nov. 24 meeting. The recommendation would then appear on the City Council agenda in December.

Kevin Miller can be contacted at 791-6312 or at:

kmiller@pressherald.com

Twitter: KevinMillerPPH

Copy the Story Link