LEWISTON — Most candidates applying for the city administrator’s job don’t mind having their names made public, according to city staff.

City councilors are considering how they should go about interviewing and hiring a replacement for Jim Bennett, fired by councilors last month. Councilors last Thursday agreed to poll the people that have applied for that job to find out if they were willing to have their names made public.

In an e-mail to city councilors, Human Resources Director Denis Jean said 16 of the 30 job seekers so far said they are willing to have their names made public from the beginning. Four said they’d prefer to be identified only if they were among the top three candidates.

It’s a good sign, according to City Councilor Tom Peters.

“The last thing this council needs is to do something that can be seen as secret,” Peters said. “We need to talk to the whole council, but I’m fully in favor of disclosing exactly who is applying.”

Four candidates said they were unwilling to be identified unless they are offered the job. That was a concern for  Councilor Denis Theriault.

“I can understand wanting to keep things confidential,” he said. “I’m just as concerned about making this difficult for someone applying for a job as I am for full public disclosure. I’d lean in the direction of trying to protect an individual’s privacy.”

Jean said he has not heard from five candidates. One candidate, applying for the job from O’Fallon, Mo., is no longer interested in the job, Jean said.

Peters said full public disclosure would help vet the candidates.

“Just based on the discussions we’ve had in the past, people always say they wish they’d known this or that about a job candidate,” he said. “Well, this is one way to find all that out. If their names are out there, the public can help us vet the candidates. The more eyes you have looking, the better.”

Councilors on Thursday discussed creating a 13-member committee to review resumes and interview candidates. Most contacted Thursday said it’s still an important part of the process.

“Getting more citizens involved in helping make decisions is never wrong,” Councilor Tina Bailey said.

Councilor Nelson Peters agreed.

“The ultimate decision is ours, and that won’t change,” he said. “We don’t want to put the hiring decision onto anyone else, but we should get as much input as possible.”

Councilors Robert Reed, Betty Dube and Mayor Larry Gilbert could not be reached Thursday. Councilor Larry Poulin declined to comment.

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