The South Portland City Council planned to interview its top five candidates for city manager in a series of closed-door meetings Tuesday at the Marriott Hotel.

The seven-member council was expected to gather at 1 p.m. for the off-site meeting and immediately vote to go into executive session.

They planned to spend the afternoon and evening in face-to-face interviews with applicants for the city’s top job, which paid $104,000 a year in 2006, according to the city’s human resources department.

The council narrowed the list of candidates from 10 to five in executive session last week. Acting City Manager James Gailey is among the applicants for the city’s top job. Gailey has been acting city manager since Ted Jankowski abruptly resigned in May 2006, after serving eight months in the job.

The council later was criticized over how it handled the hiring and departure of Jankowski. Before coming to South Portland, Jankowski had worked as assistant city manager in Worcester, Mass., but abruptly left that post after less than a year.

In June 2007, the South Portland City Council agreed to give Jankowski $43,600 in a severance payout.

Despite the problems with Jankowski, Mayor Claude Morgan said the council was using the same executive search firm that recruited Jankowski. Morgan has declined to comment further on the hiring process.

Drake, Inglesi, Milrado Inc. of Portland solicited and collected applications for the new search, Councilor Linda Boudreau said.

A provision in the city’s original $25,000 contract with Drake, Inglesi allowed for an additional executive search at no charge, if the original hire stayed in the position for less than a year.

But Boudreau said this week that Drake, Inglesi is playing only a minor role in the hiring process this time around. It is not assessing candidates or making recommendations.

Drake, Inglesi solicited the applications. But the council reviewed them without the search firm’s help.

After Tuesday’s face-to-face interviews, the council may seek a second round of interviews, if it needs more information to make a decision, Boudreau said.

The council hopes to hire a permanent city manager this year, before turnover on the council after elections Nov. 6.

Voters are deciding two at-large seats. Boudreau is running for re-election, seeking a sixth term. But Councilor Ralph Baxter is retiring after a decade on the council, guaranteeing at least one new face on the council.

The newly elected councilors will be sworn into office in December.

Although the hiring process is public, the names of the applicants will remain confidential, City Attorney Mary Kahl said this week.

“As you know, one of the permitted topics of executive session is personnel matters, including the appointment of employees,” Kahl said.

Applications for employment and references are kept confidential under state law, Kahl said. Once a municipality hires an applicant, his or her resume becomes a public document. The other candidates’ information remains private.

The off-site meetings at the Marriott, near the Maine Mall, are supposed to add an extra layer of privacy.

“Many, if not most, people when looking for a job are not advertising it to their current employers,” Kahl said. “There is an interest by municipalities in having as many candidates as possible and as high a caliber as possible. People would not apply for the position if they thought the search would be publicized.”

Morgan sent an e-mail to fellow councilors earlier this month reminding them to keep information on the applicants confidential.

But council members are candid about the qualities they seek in the next city manager.

“I’m looking for a person who first is qualified academically with a degree in business management or public administration,” Baxter said. “I will be listening for their answers on everything from how they manage finances to how they would like living and working in this area. I want to find out how well they use their common sense.”

Boudreau said, “I want someone who works well with people – both councilors and constituents. We need someone with strong financial planning skills. The person also needs to be able to assess where we are in the Maine economy and in Maine’s future.”

Gailey is considered a strong contender for the post.

Gailey steadily rose through the ranks of South Portland city government, serving as tax collector, site planner and community development director along the way.

Gailey was working as assistant city manager when he was tapped to take over the city’s top job the same week that Jankowski left office.

Gailey, 36, previously filled in as acting city manager when Jeff Jordan retired from the post in 2006, but chose not to apply for the job at the time.

Gailey said in August that he was ready to take on the challenge. He described the city manager’s role as “CEO for the city.”

Council members laud Gailey’s dedication and communication skills, noting that he sets the threshold for applicants.

“I certainly have an appreciation for Jim’s work,” Councilor Maxine Beecher has said. “We always have found him to be respectful and definitely committed.”