LEWISTON — Economic development officials are looking nationally for a tech-savvy professional with private enterprise on their resume as well as public experience to replace outgoing Lewiston-Auburn Economic Growth Council President Lucien Gosselin.
“We’ve been discussing since January what we want in this new era of economic development. It is clearly different than it was 16 years ago,” said Mark Adams, chairman of the council’s board of directors. “The advent of technology and social media and the makeup of industry, less manufacturing more small business, however you want to mix it up, it requires different skill sets than the Growth Council had then.”
Gosselin, the council’s president for the past 16 years, announced in December he plans to retire at the end of June.
Adams said a search committee of Twin Cities councilors and staff, Growth Council members and other economic development groups have been meeting since January to find Gosselin’s replacement.
Adams said he expects to see proposed guidelines to the Lewiston and Auburn councils in April. The Growth Council could begin bringing candidates to the area for interviews in May.
Adams said the Growth Council is considering hosting local receptions to meet potential candidates.
“But that depends on what we get for candidates,” Adams said. “If one stands out, or two are pretty equal, it will determine how we act.”
The group surveyed city councilors and Growth Council members this winter to find out what they want in a new leader.
“They said they were looking for someone who can lead through change,” Adams said. “With the potential change in leadership, the ways in which the council will conduct its work may change. They want somebody there.”
The survey said the new president should be comfortable dealing with people of all generations and all ethnicities, have strong background in finance and real estate and should have real-world experience working in the private sector, not just government and public development.
“There was a pretty strong thread looking for someone with a varied background in their career,” Adams said. “It means not just being an economic development official, in the private as well as the public sector. And some comments said the person should have some experience in New England mill town redevelopment.”
Members said they did not need to hire a person from Lewiston-Auburn or even Maine, but said the new president should relocate to the area.
“In terms of characteristics and qualities, they want a person with good energy and enthusiasm, patience and persistence, a positive attitude,” Adams said. “Those are things that are somewhat expected, but certainly things to keep in mind as we interview folks.”
Adams said officials have been working to redefine the Growth Council’s job and decide how Lewiston-Auburn economic development will be handled in the future.
“That’s not fully rewritten and finalized, but we are working with them to bring it to conclusion,” he said. “It will ultimately help inform sort of the last piece, the kind of person we are looking for.”
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