A historical overview provides context as the city continues its search for a new manager, City leaders are hoping the public will play an active role in the selection process.
By RANDY SEAVER | Editor
A little more than 30 years ago, the city of Biddeford decided to hire a professional city manager to serve as the city’s chief administrative officer and to oversee all municipal departments and staff.
Today – following the abrupt resignation of Truc Dever in April — the city is in the process of searching for its sixth city manager and is hoping the public will be involved in the decision-making process.
NEW DIRECTION | Truc Dever (right) was hired last year to help repair a growing cloud of controversy that hung over the head of James Bennett, the city’s longest serving manager.
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Each of the city’s prior managers had their own distinct management style, and each were forced to weather political turbulence as the city continues to grow.
Bruce Benway served as the city’s first manager, hired in 1995 during Mayor James Grattelo’s administration.
Not everyone was convinced that the city needed to create a new position and pay a competitive salary when the city already had an elected mayor.
Grattelo – a mayor well known for being straightforward, deliberate and politically strategic – made the case that the city needed someone professionally trained in the areas of financial management, human resources and municipal oversight.
Former city councilor Perry Aberle served during the Grattelo administration, and said the decision to hire Benway was a big step forward for the city.
“As an 18-year-old on the council, I saw the importance of a city manager. Most of us knew we needed a [professional] city manager, and we all knew Bruce Benway was perfect to develop this new position within the community.”
Benway’s management style reflected that of the former mayor, and he never shied from public controversy. He took direction from the mayor and council and implemented policy with a quiet, no-frills approach.
Edward Clifford – Benway’s successor – ushered in a new style of approach with strict adherence to modern policies. On his first day in office, Clifford banned smoking in any part of City Hall. Benway was a heavy-smoker and often met with department heads in “Ward Eight,” a small room on the third floor of the building.
“Most of us knew we needed
— Perry Aberle, former city councilor
a [professional] city manager.”
Clifford had a genteel approach but was perceived by many as politically naïve. After leaving the city, Clifford became a Roman Catholic priest.
Clifford’s tenure was brief and he was replaced by John Bubier, an older, more-experienced manager who concentrated on economic development and helping the city face a difficult transition as the last remaining downtown mill finally closed its doors.
Bubier was outwardly friendly but was also known to be a harsh negotiator and spent much of his time developing relationships with state leaders and commercial real estate developers.
When Bubier decided to retire, Mayor Alan Casavant wanted to hire a manager that could help steer the city through a revitalization of its downtown core and improve the city’s image with a focus of “optimistic professionalism.”
James Bennett – a veteran city manager with more than two decades of municipal management experience in Maine – was hired in 2015 and became the city’s longest serving manager.
Casavant and the council brushed over some red flags that dotted Bennett’s resume. Instead, Casavant pushed hard for Bennett, describing him as a “top-notch” manager capable of helping the city meet the demands of a modern world.
Although Bennett has strong professional credentials and a track-record of success in helping small communities resolve difficult financial situations, he was also brash, outspoken and opinionated.
Bennett left most of his previous positions under a cloud of controversy, but his first few years in Biddeford were seen as a success. The city was experiencing an economic revival, and Bennett was a master of finding state, federal and private grant money to help the city achieve its goals.
During the latter part of his 10-year term, Bennett became increasingly belligerent and obstinate in dealing with those who challenged him, including his staff, members of the public and even some city councilors.
Bennett’s management style came under attack as new questions emerged about the use of some federal grant money, overdue financial audits and a revolving door of finance managers and other key department heads.
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Facing increasing public pressure and scrutiny, Bennett reluctantly offered his six-month resignation in October 2024. The city council, however, decided to show him the door just a few weeks later.
Bennett had become a political liability for Mayor Marty Grohman who was hoping for a second term.
Grohman established a hiring committee that ultimately decided on a candidate who appeared to be the antithesis of Bennett’s tight-fisted and outspoken management style.
Although Truc Dever was hired without any prior city management experience, she was serving as the public works director in Kirkland, Wash., a Seattle suburb with a population more than three times larger than Biddeford.
The median age in Kirkland in 38 years, similar to Biddeford’s median age (35) and well below the national average.
Dever’s hiring was celebrated as “a breath of fresh air” by Grohman and other city leaders. She came to the city with enthusiasm, but the excitement wore off quickly.
Just three months after she was hired, Dever found herself reporting to a new mayor and city council that were feeling public pressure to restore transparency and accountability at City Hall.
Dever was presented with a long and festering list of internal challenges, and often seemed overwhelmed and sometimes unprepared in answering questions from the council and mayor.
She was well-liked and respected by her subordinates, and she worked diligently to shield them from any political pressure. But less than nine months after being hired, Dever announced her resignation, pointing a finger at political leaders who she said had unrealistic expectations.
RELATED | Biddeford city manager leaving her post
“Despite my best efforts, there are simply too many demands and not enough time in a day to tackle what’s needed,” Dever wrote in her resignation letter.
Last month, Mayor Liam LaFountain and the Biddeford City Council chose Cornell Knight to serve as an interim manager while the city begins the process to find a full-time replacement for Dever.
Knight– who like Bennett – is another well-known veteran municipal manager with decades of experience working in Maine.
RELATED | Biddeford hires interim city manager
A bold vision and a call for strong leadership
Today, Mayor Liam LaFountain – who campaigned on a platform of increasing transparency and accountability at City Hall – is hoping to attract a candidate that can both meet the city’s current needs and help achieve its long-term goals and restore public confidence.
LaFountain and the council are inviting residents, businesses and organizations to share input on the qualities they would like to see in Biddeford’s next City Manager.
Residents are invited to participate in a public meeting on Thursday, July 9, to offer opinions and ideas about who should professionally lead the city over the next five years.
The public input meeting will begin at 6 p.m. in the Biddeford City Hall Council Chambers. Residents can also participate remotely online, via Microsoft Teams.
Community members will be asked to discuss the key issues and challenges they anticipate for the city over the next five years, as well as the skills, background and experience they believe the next city manager will need to address them.
Community members will be
asked to discuss the key issues
and challenges they anticipate
for the city over the next five years
Last week, the city council voted to spend $10,000 to hire Gerrish Municipal Consulting Services of Brunswick to conduct the search for the new manager.
Don Gerrish, the company’s president, will facilitate the meeting and present an overview of the process the mayor and city council will follow in selecting the new manager.
“Gathering public input is an important first step as we begin the search for our next city manager,” LaFountain said. “The city council and I encourage residents to share their perspective so we can ensure that the process reflects our shared priorities and values.”
Community members who are unable to attend the July 9 meeting may also provide their input via an online form or email feedback directly to Gerrish at dhgerrish@yahoo.com by July 13.
The city council set an August 17 deadline for receiving candidate resumes. The first round of interviews is expected to take place during the first week of September; and a finalist is expected to be announced on or before Sept. 24, when the candidate’s contract will be finalized with an anticipated start date.
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