Houlton moving forward in search for town manager

HOULTON – When former Town Manager Peggy Daigle left in late August to become city manager of Old Town, many residents speculated that Town Clerk Cathy O’Leary, who has often filled in for previous town managers, would be appointed to head the town in the interim.

To everyone’s surprise, Phil McCarthy, who managed Houlton from 1981 to 1986, agreed to fill in for Daigle until a replacement could be found.

Last month, however, McCarthy was injured in an accident and subsequently resigned last week. Now, with O’Leary again at the helm, she said that the town is still a month or two away from finding a permanent leader.

“The process is ongoing,” she explained, elaborating on a search that began in early September. “We’re still doing interviews, so hopefully we’ll have someone in another month or two.”

In August, an official from the Maine Municipal Association told town councilors that it could take up to four months to find a replacement for Daigle, who was at the helm in Houlton for three years.

The council is paying MMA $4,500 to help it find Daigle’s successor, and the agency received a resume from one prospective candidate before an advertisement for the position was even posted.

The MMA announced in October that 30 people applied for the job, and councilors whittled the number of applications down and conducted interviews later that month.

In early November, the group selected a candidate that all but one member felt “overwhelmingly positive” about, and agreed to call the individual back for a second interview.

O’Leary said Tuesday that the candidate is still in the running for the position.

“That person is still involved in the process,” she said, “but the council is still interviewing more people. They hope to be done as soon as possible.”