Earlier this month, Bridgeville councilmembers launched a search for the community’s next borough manager.
The current manager, Lori Collins, will retire at the end of May, wrapping up a 28-year career at the borough, including 16 years at the helm.
Collins declined to discuss her departure or the search for her successor.
“I am ill and am retiring,” she wrote in an email. “I am not interested in answering other questions.”
Council president William Henderson said that Collins had been considering retirement “for some time” and eventually chose May 31 as her last day.
“She’s been around so long that it will be a challenge to replace her,” Henderson said.
The borough posted job advertisements a few weeks ago and has started receiving resumes for the position. Nobody has yet been interviewed, Henderson said.
As Bridgeville continues to wrestle with complex and expensive issues like parking, traffic, and flood management, council is looking for a candidate with a strong background experience in municipal management and local government finance, the council president said.
“We’re seeking someone who has been successful in securing grants and who has a history of running a borough or township about our size,” Henderson said.
Ideally, the new manger would be hired prior to Collins’ departure, but the borough’s search committee is willing to wait to find the best fit for the job, Henderson said.
Collins’ salary was budgeted at approximately $90,000 this year. The pay range for the new manger will depend on experience.
“We’re going to find the right person first,” Henderson said. “If we find someone with everything that we’re looking for, then we’re prepared to pay them.”