Marc Meyers will serve as interim Bath city manager upon current City Manager Peter Owen’s retirement on August 20. Photo courtesy of Marc Meyers
Bath city councilors unanimously appointed Assistant City Manager Marc Meyers as interim city manager Wednesday.
According to the order councilors approved, Meyers was chosen because he “has, on a number of occasions, in the absence of the current city manager, filled the position as acting city manager.”
Meyers said he’s “thankful for the opportunity” to fill in until a permanent city manager is selected. He will be stepping in for City Manager Peter Owen, who retires this month.
Meyers, a Bath native and Morse High School alum, was first hired by the city in 2012 to be the community relations coordinator. Three years later, he was promoted to director of community development.
Owen selected Meyers to be his assistant city manager in July 2017 when he was appointed city manager.
“As the assistant city manager, I’ve been involved in decision making processes as part of the city manager’s team,” said Meyers. “We’ll keep the city of ships afloat while the city undergoes the process of hiring a new city manager.”
While he doesn’t know how long the city will need him to serve as interim city manager, Meyers said he’s “looking forward to taking on the challenges that face our community.”
He listed the ongoing redevelopment of the former Morse High School building and the impending sidewalk construction on Commercial Street among the projects the he and the new city manager will face in the near future.
“I think it’s important to keep moving forward in the great work the city is doing,” he said. “The activity doesn’t stop during the transition between city managers.”
Peter Owen
Owen said he recommended Meyers to take his place while the city works to find a new city manager because “Marc has been front and center for all the issues since I’ve been city manager.”
“From Bath Iron Works to bridge loans, there isn’t anything he hasn’t been involved in,” said Owen. “He has a good grasp of issues, brings ideas to the table, and has a lot of engagement with the public. He’ll be able to walk on day one and not skip a beat.”
Owen announced his retirement on June 11. His last day is Friday, August 20.
“I have always felt that Bath is most successful when city council, city staff, and Bath residents learn from each other and work together,” Owen wrote in a statement issued June 11. “We have seen many successful projects, policies, and ideas come from city committees, and I have been able to allocate city resources accordingly.”
To Meyers and his successor, Owen advised them to exercise patience when community members come to city hall with questions and complaints.
“There are a lot of complaints that come with the job and you have to have a willingness to be patient with them, listen and understand the issues someone brings forward,” said Owen. “Sometimes they’re things we can solve and sometimes we can’t, and we have to explain why we can’t.”
Owen joined the city administration in 1999 as the director of public works and was appointed City Manager by Bath City Council in 2017, taking over for former City Manager Bill Giroux. That appointment became permanent in 2018, after residents voted to change the city charter in order to allow the city manager to live outside the city limits.
Looking back on his time as city manager, Owen said nothing in Bath would get done without the tireless efforts of municipal employees.
“The community of Bath and outlying communities have benefited from city employees who are extremely talented and have a commitment to providing the highest quality of service,” said Owen. I can’t say enough about their commitment to service and I feel honored to have worked with them. Any achievements I’ve made or the positive things that come out of city hall are due to the staff within the city.”
Applications for the city manager position are due to the city by Friday, Aug 6. So far, the city has received nearly 30 resumes for the job, according to City Clerk Darci Wheeler. Meyers said he is among the applicants.
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