Fort Fairfield leaders have hired a Bangor official to be the next town manager.
Aaron Huotari, Bangor’s public works director, will become the Aroostook County town’s leader in June at a salary of $105,000 per year.
The Fort Fairfield Town Council hired Huotari on April 16, just three weeks after bidding farewell to former manager Tim Goff. Huotari was a “dream candidate” with solid municipal experience, and clearly wanted to be a part of the town, Councilor Pat Canavan said Wednesday.
“He checked every box. His wife is from The County and they really wanted to move back here,” Canavan said. “He was impressed with our town and the progress we’ve made, coming back through a very difficult time.”
Fort Fairfield has struggled through its share of challenges over the past few years, from budget unrest to calls of mismanagement to finding itself $1 million in debt.
Before Goff was hired in July 2023, former Town Manager Dan Foster took over in the interim when Andrea Powers, whom many blamed for the financial difficulties and a lack of transparency, left the post in 2022.
Foster proposed $1 million in cuts to try to get the town back in the black. Goff then worked with Foster and other leaders to continue reversing the damage. In November, Goff reported the town was recovering and able to grow again, with a lower property tax rate for two years in a row.
In February, Goff announced he was resigning to take a post as public relations director at Cary Medical Center in Caribou.
Though roughly a dozen people applied for the manager’s job, Huotari immediately rose to the top, Canavan said, describing him as even-tempered and curious. She hopes Huotari will focus on economic development, especially since Police Chief Matt Cummings has taken over some of the town’s administrative responsibilities.
“We can do all kinds of things in a small town to make it an interesting place to live, but you really need to have business development and industry,” Canavan said. “I think he is going to be a key player in drawing new business and new economic development opportunities to town.”
Huotari will take the post sometime in June after he finishes obligations with the city of Bangor, she said.
Councilors voted unanimously to hire him following an executive session at their April 16 meeting.
Huotari was not immediately available for comment, but was in Fort Fairfield last week and spoke at the meeting.
He told the group he was honored to be chosen for the role, and thanked Foster for keeping things running smoothly.
Among the town’s best assets are its active citizens, talented and dedicated staff and engaged councilors who are determined to make the town better, he said. There are also public-private partnerships and growing industrial development.
“There’s a ton of good things going on in Fort Fairfield right now,” Huotari said. “These positive things are the bedrock of a good, solid community and they’re really necessary for a community to get into long-term growth and make the community even better.”
