LEWISTON — The city will re-advertise the city administrator position after an initial application period yielded only nine candidates, two of which were from Maine.

According to Don Gerrish, a consultant with the Eaton Peabody Consulting Group who is leading the search, the City Council met Monday night and reviewed the nine applications received. Following the review, the council decided to re-advertise the position.

Mayor Carl Sheline said Wednesday that the reasoning behind the decision is simply “to increase the pool of applicants.”

“This is a critical time for our city and we need to cast a wide net in order to find the best candidate possible,” he said.

The new job advertisement was posted to the city’s website late Wednesday morning, which states that applications are now due by Oct. 23.

Gerrish told officials that the job posting will be advertised to the Maine Municipal Association, International City Managers Association, and New Hampshire and Massachusetts municipal associations, as well as a new addition of the Connecticut Municipal Association.

He said the revised timeline for the search will hopefully result in a candidate being selected by mid-December.

Gerrish was hired by the council over the summer to conduct the search for a new administrator following the resignation of former City Administrator Heather Hunter in March. Since Hunter’s resignation, Deputy City Administrator Brian O’Malley has been serving as Acting City Administrator.

The initial round of applications was due in late September, and a first round of interviews was scheduled to take place this week. Prior to posting the job advertisement, Gerrish estimated the city could receive between 20-25 applications, but he also told the council there have been times when municipalities don’t select a new administrator following the first round of applications.

Gerrish has done more than 70 executive searches since 2009 after serving as a city manager in several municipalities, including Gorham and Brunswick. He’ll be paid $10,000, plus reimbursement of direct expenses.

During a public meeting about the administrator search in August, residents told officials that the administrator hire may be the most important decision the current City Council makes.

Ward 1 Councilor Josh Nagine said Wednesday that the message from constituents and staff has been “resoundingly clear” that “positive, sustainable and equitable change is demanded” and that the first round of applications was not large enough to give the council confidence that it was picking the best person for the position.

“There were good applicants, and they will be urged to reapply in the next round,” he said, adding that he also has faith and trust in O’Malley to “continue to hold the course for as long as it takes to find the best candidate for the job.”

“New city leadership needs to be able to shift the needle to better conditions across our diverse community today and help to chart the roadmap for a healthier, more profitable, and more vibrant city for all in our shared future,” he said.

According to the job posting, the City Council is seeking candidates with a minimum of seven years of municipal executive management experience or similar related private business experience.

The salary range is listed at between $165,000 and $195,000, depending on experience and qualifications.