LEWISTON — The city and its hired consultant have set a schedule for the search for a new city administrator, with officials hoping to be conducting final interviews in October.

During a council workshop Tuesday, Don Gerrish of Eaton Peabody Consulting Group discussed his process and the overall timeline for the administrator search, something Gerrish has done more than 70 times in the last 14 years.

He told councilors that he’s confident the process will find the right person, even as he believes the market for city managers has not been as strong in recent years.

“It only takes one person to be the right person for your community,” he said.

The process laid out by Gerrish includes a public meeting and interviews with department heads that will help create the job advertisement by Aug. 20. Then, a deadline for applications will be set, interviews will be conducted to determine finalists, and secondary interviews will be held with finalists.

As of now, the deadline for resumes is scheduled for Sept. 17. Interviews with finalists will likely be conducted in mid-October.

The city hired Gerrish last month to lead the search after former City Administrator Heather Hunter resigned in late March. He’ll be paid $10,000, plus reimbursement of direct expenses.

Gerrish has done executive searches since 2009 after serving as a city manager in several municipalities, including Gorham and Brunswick. He once served as assistant manager in Auburn, and later served as interim manager there while conducting a search.

He told the Lewiston council Tuesday that how the candidate fits the community is “as critical as anything you look at.”

He said feedback from city staff on what they’re looking for in a city manager and important issues facing the city in the next five years — along with feedback from residents during a public meeting on Thursday, Aug. 15 — will help guide the advertisement.

Councilors were generally supportive of the proposed process and timeline, with several stating they want the search to be open and transparent for the public.

“Some roles in government are a bit arcane and confusing for folks in terms of the powers elected and appointed officials have,” said Councilor Josh Nagine. “The more opportunities people have to see the process I think it helps, one to make sure we’re on the right path, and two, to show that there’s nothing behind the curtain.”

Nagine also suggested that on top of the public meeting, the city should host a roundtable discussion with the business community, developers, and/or small businesses, to get “feedback from their perspective.”

Gerrish said in the past he’s also done meet-and-greet events with finalists, which provides an “opportunity to bring the public in one more time.” According to the proposed scheduled, that is slated to occur the week of Oct. 14.

Mayor Carl Sheline said Wednesday that it’s “clear” that Gerrish has “the breadth of knowledge and experience to help us find the best candidate.”

“I can assure the residents of Lewiston that this search will be a transparent and open process,” he said.

When asked by a councilor about where the ad would target, Gerrish recommended it be advertised nationally, but also with more directed ads in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, states that he said typically produce a number of candidates.

Gerrish was also asked about online job search sites like Indeed and LinkedIn, to which he said both often produce “worthless resumes.”

“LinkedIn was the worst one I’ve ever done,” he said, adding that for one search he received roughly 250 applications, and “not a single one would qualify” for the job.

Gerrish said on average he’s been seeing fewer applicants for city managerial positions in recent years, and that the housing market hasn’t helped.

“We’re not seeing the numbers and quality we’ve seen, but that doesn’t mean you’re not going to find the right candidate,” he said.

Gerrish recently led a search in Bar Harbor that yielded 18 applications. He led one in Bar Harbor eight years prior that saw 65 applications.

Since Hunter’s departure, Brian O’Malley has been serving as acting administrator. In May, the council signed a separation agreement with Hunter that paid her six months salary, or $76,771.