With all due respect to the five Saco city councilors who voted to retain Richard Michaud as the city administrator, I feel the need to express my concern about the lack of principle surrounding this issue.

I concur that Michaud has been a knowledgeable and competent manager for the City of Saco. He showed excellent leadership skills by knowing that it was time for him to retire before this year’s city budget process begins. If any of you were watching last spring, you will remember that the council had to talk with each department head to understand how certain increases in line items were determined. This scrutiny helped to hold the mil rate to an almost 0 percent increase, but the process was long and difficult for everyone involved.

It is city council decisions, aided by the knowledge of the city manager, that drive Saco’s future. Prices on most everything are going up. Fortunately, we do not currently have the outstanding bond balances that saddle a few other cities, but this does not mean that Saco is immune from a trend of unsustainable debt. With rising costs, limited employment opportunities and Saco’s stagnant industrial base, it is imperative the city manager advise and lead the council to spur increases in revenue. Unfortunately, this isn’t happening with the current manager.

Saco’s time for innovation is now. Instead of dreading another budget cycle, a fresh-minded manager would use this as an opportunity to work with the council to strategically plan policy decisions that prevent the “tax and spend” mentality.

That’s the type of city manager I envision for Saco. I know he or she is out there, but we never got the chance to find out.

Councilor Bette Brunswick, Saco Ward 3

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