Cole Hopes to Renegotiate with Doyon

Q2 reports Billings’ Mayor-elect Bill Cole said that he hopes to reopen contract negotiations for city administrator nominee Greg Doyon when he takes office in January.

Doyon publicly spurned the city council’s offer on Friday morning. Cole said in a statement he was “deeply disappointed” that the city failed to reach an agreement with Doyon, who is currently the city manager of Great Falls. Cole added that he immediately called Doyon to express his regrets and shared his concerns that the Billings City Council’s hiring subcommittee did not consider compensation levels in comparable cities.

Cole, who was elected in November with nearly two-thirds of the vote, said he could not unilaterally reopen the talks and would need council support to move forward. Doyon was the top selection of those interviewed by the city, but compensation levels became a sticking point.