PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — City councilors went through a list of possible consulting firms to help them find the next city manager ahead of when Martin Puckett leaves in mid-October.
Six of the seven city councilors met at City Hall to decide between the seven choices of consulting firms. Council Chairperson Jacob Shaw was absent.
A unanimous 6-0 vote was cast for Municipal Resources Inc. to help Presque Isle find and recruit a selection of candidates for the next city manager.
“It’s apparent that we definitely need to go down this road, so it was a matter of deciding who it’s going to be [and to] make a decision and move forward,” said City Councilor Kevin Freeman.
Some of the top-ranked consulting firms among the city councilors were Maine Municipal Association, Eaton Peabody Consulting Group and Municipal Solutions.
“A big reason for my top three picks was their regional location and the familiarity with the New England area,” City Councilor Jeff Willette said.
City Councilor Mike Chasse chose Municipal Solutions as his first pick because there was room to negotiate their price down and it was a good way to attract national talent.
Municipal Resources Inc. in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, was ranked first with Freeman because it was within the New England region and did about 10 placements in Maine. City Councilor Gary Nelson also had Municipal Resources Inc. as his first pick due to its price point.
Municipal Resources Inc. has worked for Presque Isle before. The company did Fire and Police Public Safety Studies in 2011, according to the consulting firm’s letter of interest.
