Orono plans to appoint Cornell Knight, who led Bar Harbor for seven years until his retirement in January 2022 and later on a temporary basis, as interim town manager next week.
Orono’s Town Council will appoint Knight during a meeting Monday, Nov. 27, according to the agenda. Knight is wrapping up a job in another part of the state, so the timing worked out well, Chairperson Geoff Wingard said.
The council approved the departure of Sophie Wilson, the town’s longtime manager, on Oct. 19. The town will pay $89,856 to Wilson and $5,000 to Bangor law firm Eaton Peabody. Her last day is Dec. 2.
Orono is preparing for a major transition after 12 years with Wilson at the helm. Knight will lead the town as councilors work with Texas-based search firm Strategic Government Resources to find a permanent manager. Residents and former councilors argued last month that the decision will be the most important one they will make during their tenure.
Wilson’s exit comes amidst a string of municipal staff departures in Orono, including Assistant Town Manager Belle Ryder, Town Planner Kyle Drexler and executive assistant Nancy Ward, who retired after 22 years with the town. Wilson is headed to Freeport next month.
“We’re happy to have Cornell,” Wingard said Wednesday. “He’s an experienced municipal person and interim manager. We were able to find him during a period of his availability, and we are fortunate that he is in the more northern part of the state.”
Over the past 40 years, Knight has held municipal management positions in six towns, including Baileyville, Hallowell, Jay, Winthrop and Topsham. He served as Bar Harbor’s town manager from 2014 to early 2022.
Since retiring from Bar Harbor, Knight has done interim stints in Farmington and Hancock County, and he did consulting on town manager recruitments while working at Eaton Peabody Consulting, he said.
Knight returned to Bar Harbor as interim town manager in mid-August. This came after the town reached a separation agreement with Kevin Sutherland, who succeeded Knight as town manager in January 2022.
“I’m looking forward to working with the town council and staff over the next several months,” Knight said about his upcoming role in Orono, noting he will start in the municipal office Dec. 4.
Orono’s council looked for a candidate with significant experience being an interim town manager in Maine because the job involves “more than just keeping the lights on,” but ultimately it is temporary, Wingard said.
Maine Municipal Association and other contacts recommended candidates, and the council looked closely at five or six of them, all with impressive qualifications, he said.
During a special meeting Monday, the council unanimously voted to hire Strategic Government Resources to find a permanent town manager. The process will involve multiple visits to Orono to get to know municipal staff and community members, Wingard said. The firm has recruited city and town managers nationwide, including in Kennebunk last year.
The council is preparing a scope of work to send to the firm, after which a contract will be finalized, Wingard said. The search will begin “as soon as possible, certainly by the new year,” and it will last a few months, he said.
Orono is losing its longtime, professional town manager, and transitions are always difficult, Wingard acknowledged. But appointing an interim and getting the larger search underway is a relief, he said.
BDN writer Bill Trotter contributed to this report.
