Newport council hires VLCT consultant to run city manager search

The Newport City Council on Monday approved a contract with the Vermont League of Cities and Towns to run a national search for the city manager position.

Dominic Cloud, a part‑time VLCT consultant and the city manager in Saint Albans, walked the council and residents through the search process the firm uses: a strategic analysis (SWOT) to frame the community profile, a promotional brochure to attract candidates, a national posting and targeted outreach, staged interview rounds and reference checks, and facilitation of offer and background checks. Cloud said the work typically takes about five months and often yields a short list of 30–40 initial applicants, narrowed to several finalists.

Council members Carter Finnegan and the meeting chair said they had run reference checks on Cloud and others he recommended and that those checks were “superlative,” describing positive experiences in recent searches in Morristown, Woodstock and Springfield. A member of the public asked how broadly the search would be advertised; Cloud said VLCT and the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) reach candidates regionally and nationally and that the search would be bolstered by local outreach in New England.

The contract presented in council packets lists a base fee and associated expenses; the chair invited Cloud to introduce the approach and then moved that the council approve the contract with a minor correction in the contract title. The motion was seconded and approved by voice vote.

The council said councilors Carter Finnegan and the chair will follow up with VLCT and arrange for Cloud to begin work early in the new year. Cloud told the council he expects the final candidate to be in place with a likely July 1 start date for the new manager.

What’s next: Councilors said they will work with the consultant on the search profile and interview structure and expect regular updates to the council as the search proceeds.