CAPE ELIZABETH — The Town Council will hold a public input session Oct. 19 to guide the search for a new town manager.

The meeting will take place at Town Hall at 7 p.m. and will be facilitated by Augusta-based consulting group Eaton Peabody.

The council hired the group to conduct the town manager search after Town Manager Mike McGovern announced Aug. 22 that he will retire Dec. 31, after 31 years in the position. 

The council approved hiring Eaton Peabody on Sept. 12, and met with consultants on Sept. 21 to draft a schedule for the search. The goal is to name a new town manager by Jan. 18, 2017.

The Oct. 19 session will be led by Eaton Peabody’s Don Gerrish, who is also South Portland’s interim city manager and the leader of the city’s search for a new manager. The intention of the meeting is to ask citizens what qualities, education and experience they want the next town manager to have.

Residents will also be asked to discuss what they think the biggest issues and challenges facing Cape Elizabeth are. People unable to attend the meeting can email their thoughts and ideas to Dick Metivier at rmetivier@eatonpeabody.com.

In addition to holding a public input session, Eaton Peabody will be meeting with town staff over the next few weeks to discuss what characteristics they’d like in a new town manager.

The Town Council plans to start advertising for the position at the beginning of November. After a month, councilors will review applications and decide who to interview, with a goal to interview four to six people.

The plan is to narrow the search to two finalists by the middle of December and chose a finalist by the beginning of January.

Kate Gardner can be reached at 781-3661 ext. 125 or kgardner@theforecaster.net. Follow her on Twitter: @katevgardner.

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