Three to be interviewed for Buckfield Town Manager

BUCKFIELD — The board of selectmen will interview three candidates for the position of town manager.

The town received 20 applications for the position.

According to Town Clerk Cindy Dunn, the town always hopes for a decent number of applicants, but was not expecting 20.

Dunn said that she was only expecting to receive about a dozen applications this year.

"Initially they came in pretty slow," said Dunn, "but then towards the end, they came in fast and furious."

In an executive session held during its April 17 meeting, the board of selectmen narrowed the number of candidates to three.

The successful candidate will fill the position left open when Glenn Holmes resigned as town manager in December to become the director of the Western Maine Economic Development Council.

Although Dunn was unable to provide any details on the three finalists, the current interim town manager, Dana Lee announced his application for the permanent position in early March.

When applying, Lee erased any conflict of interest that his current position might have created by recusing himself from the hiring process.

Prior to his appointment in Buckfield, Lee served as town manager of Poland for four years before resigning in May 2011, citing exhaustion with the treatment he received from a group of active citizens.

Lee also served as town manager of Mechanic Falls for 16 years before taking the job in Poland.

The board will interview the three candidates on May 5. Dunn says that the chosen candidate is scheduled to start at the beginning of July.