The Biddeford city manager announced Monday he has nominated Cheryl Fournier as the city’s next finance director.
Fournier currently is the finance director in neighboring Saco, where the city council recently rejected a proposal to share a finance director with Biddeford. The Biddeford City Council, which had supported the shared finance director arrangement, is set to vote on Fournier’s nomination Tuesday night.
Fournier had previously been nominated by Biddeford City Manager James Bennett and Kevin Sutherland, city administrator in Saco, to serve as the joint finance director for both communities. The idea was overwhelmingly supported by Biddeford councilors, but narrowly rejected by councilors in Saco who raised concerns about whether the shared position would be too much work for one person.
Bennett said when Fournier first indicated her interest in the open Biddeford position, he reached out to Sutherland to explore the idea of sharing the position. When that option was no longer available, Bennett said it was his “responsibility to hire the best available talent.”
“(Fournier) has been employed in the world of finance since 1991, including 20 years of leadership responsibility,” Bennett said in a prepared statement. “Her background includes both successful public and private sector experiences. I am confident that her leadership, abilities and passion will be an outstanding addition to the talented Biddeford team.”
Fournier said she accepted the offer in Biddeford with “mixed emotions.”
“I have enjoyed my time with Saco. It will be difficult to leave my colleagues, many of who have become friends,” she said in a statement.
Fournier had served as interim city administrator during her time in Saco. In 2016, her salary in Saco was $97,195. Her starting annual salary in Biddeford will be $104,500.
If confirmed by the city council, Fournier will begin her job in Biddeford on July 3.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
