Council backs leadership program Presque Isle course aims to get more involvement in municipal affairs

PRESQUE ISLE – Businesses, groups and organizations are always in need of leaders to help maintain the current momentum of the collective and to spark new ideas.

The same is true when it comes to running a city and steering it toward the future.

The city of Presque Isle is gearing up to offer a course officials hope will help attract potential future leaders while also educating them about how the city works. The City Council voted unanimously Monday evening to offer a “Leadership Presque Isle Program.”

The program is geared toward building capacity and getting more people involved in municipal affairs, City Manager Tom Stevens told councilors. The five-week program will accommodate a maximum of 20 participants per session, and city staffers will volunteer their time to serve as facilitators for the program.

Topics will include city government and municipal departments, the City Council and other relevant subjects. Participants also will be offered a chance to ride along with officials from the city’s police, fire and public works departments.

Councilor Calvin Hall supported the idea, telling fellow councilors the program would “help to get people more involved with the city and community service.”

Councilor Don Gardner agreed, saying the program would “give people a chance to see what we are doing and increase citizen involvement.”

While all councilors supported the idea of offering the program, there was some debate regarding whether to charge a $10 fee to participate in the program. The money would be used to pay for food and other supplies for participants.

Councilor Jennifer Trombley was leery about imposing the fee.

“If you are asking people to come and learn about their city, I don’t think you should ask them to pay,” she said, adding that a fee would be a deterrent to the program.

Other councilors disagreed, saying that a nominal fee would not prevent participants from coming forward.

While Gardner initially made a motion to waive the $10 fee, he later rescinded it after further discussion among the councilors.