Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the City Management Hire topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Consultant Don Garish lays out timeline, outreach and salary guidance for Bangor city manager search
Summary
Don Garish of Peabody Consulting Group presented a proposed search timeline to the Bangor City Council, including public and department-head input, advertising plans, interview rounds, background checks and a recommendation to raise the advertised salary range.
Don Garish, a consultant with Peabody Consulting Group, told the Bangor City Council on Jan. 13 that he recommends a four- to six-week recruitment and multi-stage interview process aimed at naming a finalist by the first week of April.
Garish said he has conducted roughly 70 searches and described a workflow that starts with department-head interviews and a public meeting, places job advertisements (national and regional), compiles resumes into a booklet for the council, then proceeds to two rounds of interviews with background checks on finalists. "I am a Bangor person. I was born and raised in Bangor," Garish said, describing his familiarity with the community and his consultant role. "I will draft some questions that I have used and from what I hear from all of you, I will send out to all of you. You can review them."
The consultant recommended posting the ad on national and regional outlets: ICMA (the International City/County Management Association), state municipal association channels, the National League of Cities and targeted New England outlets. Garish estimated a total advertising cost "maybe $2,500, maybe even $3,000" if the council selects a broad set of publications and job boards. He proposed placing the ad on Tuesday, Jan. 28, with a four-week application window that would set a Feb. 25 deadline for applications.
Under Garish's draft timeline, the city would receive a packet of resumes and the consultant's interview recommendations by Feb. 28. He proposed an executive-session review of the candidate booklet in the March 3–6 window, first-round interviews the following week (week of March 10), and finalist interviews two weeks later. Garish noted travel costs would be borne by the city if the council invites out-of-state finalists for in-person interviews and encouraged finalists to bring spouses or significant others when visiting Bangor.
Garish also described the candidate vetting he will provide: preliminary screening conversations, complete background checks (education, criminal and financial), and verification beyond references the candidate provides. "For the finalists, we will do complete background checks on those finalists," he said. "You'll get a full report, from me with everything I found out about all the candidates."
On the question of stakeholder engagement, Garish proposed meeting individually with department heads and holding a public meeting to gather input on two questions: what department heads and the public want in the next city manager, and what issues they expect the city to face in the next five years. He said those summaries would be provided anonymously to candidates and posted for public review.
Several council members voiced support for department-head involvement in finalist interviews and for public input. Council Chair Pelletier said she favored both department-head input and a public meeting, but also noted scheduling conflicts: "I do want the council to know I am out of town on vacation, March 26th through 31st." Councilor Hawes urged the council to make the March 3–6 review period a priority and to set aside a workshop if necessary.
Garish urged the council to consider the local salary range when placing the ad. He said the existing pay scale bottom was around $123,000 and the top about $166,000, and recommended advertising a higher, more competitive range: "I would recommend that you consider a $160 to $190 [thousand] as your range for this." He pointed to recent searches in Maine where starting ranges had increased to attract qualified candidates.
Why it matters: The timing, advertising scope, stakeholder input and salary range all shape who applies and who accepts a final offer. Councilors emphasized getting broad staff input and preserving time in their calendars for resume review and interviews.
The council did not take a formal vote on the recruitment timeline during the discussion; Garish requested council feedback and said he would move forward with advertising after final approval of the ad and schedule.
