By Tom Ayres, Senior Staff Writer
Woodstock municipal manager Eric Duffy is one of three final candidates for the city manager post in Montpelier, Vermont’s capital city.
Montpelier Mayor Jack McCullough announced Duffy’s status in a press release and on the city’s Facebook page late Wednesday. Duffy is the only candidate among the finalists who is presently serving in a municipal management post in Vermont or New England. The other finalists for the Montpelier leadership post are Kelly McNicholas Kury, a local government professional who presently chairs the Pitkin County Board of Commissioners in Aspen, Colo., and Kelcey Young, a local government leader with more than a decade of public service in Texas, California, and Oregon who most recently served as the city manager of Pinole, Calif.
Duffy, who has been in his position in Woodstock for almost three years, could not be reached for comment about his potential job change as of 2 p.m. on Thursday. At this point, it’s unknown whether Duffy is a candidate for any other positions.
Speaking on her own behalf in a phone conversation with the Standard early Thursday afternoon, Seton McIlroy, the chair of the Woodstock Village Trustees, said she was “recently made aware” that Duffy was seeking the Montpelier leadership post. “My comment would be that if Eric decides to take another job, it would be a major loss for Woodstock, but I’m certainly supportive of Eric’s decision to decide what is best for him and his family,” McIlroy said.
Contacted by the Standard, Woodstock Town Selectboard Chair Ray Bourgeois said that he, too, had only learned about Duffy’s candidacy recently. “I think it would be a loss for the town, but he [needs to] do what’s best for himself and his family,” Bourgeois commented, echoing McIlroy’s sentiments. “Anyone that’s ever left a job – it’s no different than if you went someplace or I went someplace – for sure, you do what’s best for yourself and your family. That’s always the bottom line,” the selectboard chair concluded.
“The city manager is the top appointed official in city government, and thus, this is an important and weighty decision. The Council has been methodical in our interviewing and vetting process,” stated Mayor McCullough in the media statement. “Selecting a city manager is about finding the right-fit candidate for the community, and we are pleased to present three individuals whose character and skills match the needs for this position.”
According to McCullough, the Montpelier search kicked off in September and included stakeholder input and multiple interview rounds. “The three finalists were selected from over 30 applicants in a competitive, national recruitment process facilitated by the city’s contracted search consultant, Pracademic Partners. Feedback was solicited from the public and staff on key qualities and characteristics of the ideal candidate for Montpelier City Manager, and those inputs informed the process,” McCullough said in the press release.
Finalists Duffy, McNicholas Kury, and Young will now advance to the next and final stage in the recruitment process: a full day of events on site in Montpelier that will include meetings with city staff, conversations with department leaders, and a tour of city facilities and active projects. The day will culminate in public forums with all three finalists, McCullough noted. As of Thursday afternoon, Montpelier officials had not yet set a date on which the three finalists for the city manager’s post will visit for a final round of interviews and the public forums.