FARMINGTON — Erica LaCroix is expected to be voted town manager by the Board of Selectmen at the Sept. 26 meeting.

Town Manager Christian Waller stepped down unexpectedly on Feb. 6.

Waller was hired in 2021 to replace Town Manager Richard Davis who retired after 20 years on the job.

“The Board of Selectmen received a total of 22 resumes for the town manager position,” according to a release from the town office Tuesday, Sept. 19. “This was their third round of reviewing applicants which started in February 2023. They interviewed three candidates, all of whom were experienced town managers. All five selectmen agreed to offer [LaCroix] the position.”

Originally from Mt. Vernon, LaCroix graduated from Marranacook High School in 1988. She received a bachelor of science degree from Michigan State University and a MPA from Norwich University. She has worked in the public sector for over 25 years.

LaCroix was selected as Maine Town, City and County Management Association’s 2022 Rising Star recipient, a recognition which highlights a public administrator who has brought new vitality and professionalism to his or her respective community.

“Previously serving as a budget and policy analyst for the State of Virginia’s Department of Transportation, LaCroix has also worked as the senior administrator for the Operations and Maintenance Division of the Lansing, Michigan, Public Service Department,” a Central Maine article about the award noted. “Her experience working in public service, paired with her dedication to empowering meaningful community development, has allowed the town of Winslow to repave Benton Avenue, implement a Coffee with the Manager series to invite public input toward planning initiatives, and secure more than $1 million in Congressionally directed spending to support the Chafee Brook pump station.”

“This is a good deal for us,” Farmington chair Matthew Smith said later Tuesday, Sept. 19. “We got the cream of the crop here. We got lucky. I am very excited to start working with her. I feel Farmington has a bright future ahead with Erica at the helm.”

LaCroix is still town manager for Winslow, Smith noted. She has signed a contract with Farmington that Farmington hasn’t signed yet, he stated.

LaCroix’s start date in Farmington will be December 13.

In February, Cornell Knight was hired as interim town manager for Farmington.

In August, Stephen Eldridge was hired as interim town manager after a candidate for the town manager position stepped down during negotiations.

“I really did not think the process would take this long,” Smith said.

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