Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE – The city of Presque Isle may be in the market for a new city manager, according to discussion at Council’s Oct. 5 meeting.
The topic came up during the session, with Presque Isle Attorney Norman Trask speaking on behalf of City Manager Tom Stevens.
“I ask that Council, before they address the process, give the matter some pause,” Trask said. “Tom and I have proposed we meet with Council to talk about issues, extending Tom’s contract.”
Trask’s goal was to get Council to reconsider their decision earlier in the year, when councilors voted to only renew Stevens’ contract for one year.
“We’d like to meet and talk about what led to the current one-year contract and see if Tom could continue managing the city as he has for the past 17 years,” said Trask, asking Council to table the discussion of beginning the process of recruiting a new city manager until after such a meeting could be held.
Trask highlighted some of Stevens’ accomplishments while serving as city manager, including economic development and awards he’d received.
“Tom doesn’t take all the credit but credits all of you,” Trask told the Council.
Trask said to the best of their (his and Tom’s) knowledge, “there’s been no reason given for extending only a one-year contract.”
“Tom has family here and wants to remain here,” said Trask.
Trask told Council they had “nothing to lose and everything to gain.”
“This won’t cost the Council anything,” continued Trask. “All we ask is that the issue of recruiting a new manager be tabled and that you consider meeting with Tom to try to come to a mutually-agreeable solution.”
Tabling the matter wasn’t as simple as expected. Although the majority of councilors present at the meeting voted to table the measure and meet with Stevens and Trask, the 3-2 decision wasn’t enough to make the vote official.
“It has to be a majority of the Council. The Council consists of seven members, two were absent that night. So another meeting has been planned to consider tabling the recruiting process until I and my attorney can meet with them,” explained Stevens.
Council had initially agreed to hold a special meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 13 to continue discussion of the city manager’s position. But a conflict in scheduling for some of the councilors caused the meeting to be postponed until Monday, Oct. 19 at 6 p.m. at City Hall.
Councilors deferred all questions on the matter to Council Chair Ed Nickerson. Nickerson, however, has been absent from recent sessions – reportedly due to health issues – and was unavailable for comment at presstime.
An Old Town native, Stevens, 54, began his career in municipal government at the age of 21, serving as Millinocket’s welfare director in 1976. He then went on to serve for 17 years as Limestone’s town manager, before moving to Standish to serve as that community’s town manager. In 1992, he was hired to represent the city of Presque Isle. He also serves on a number of boards and committees. Stevens was selected in 2001 by the Maine Town and City Management Association as the winner of the Line Stackpole Manager of the Year award. He holds a master’s degree in public administration.
If Council does not extend Stevens’ contract beyond the current one, he would leave office in January 2010.
