Published: November 01, 2009 11:26 pm      

3 finalists emerge for city manager post

JOHNSTOWN — Three unidentified finalists have emerged from a field of 30 people who applied to become Johnstown’s next city manager.

A five-member search committee will make a final recommendation to City Council in just a few weeks, setting the stage for council to hire a new manager before year’s end.

“Within the next week, we’ll have people in to interview with the selection committee,” said Larry Caprous, a committee member representing Greater Johnstown Regional Partnership.

Former City Manager Curt Davis resigned Sept. 30. Assistant City Manager Bruce Haselrig was appointed to serve as Johnstown’s interim manager until a long-term replacement is found.

Even in a financially distressed city that has seen its share of intramural conflict this year, there was no shortage of candidates for the manager’s job.

But Caprous said more than half of the applicants were eliminated immediately because they did not have a sufficient background in governmental administration.

After further discussions and eliminations, and after conducting reference and background checks, the committee expected to bring four candidates to Johnstown for interviews.

However, “one actually accepted a city manager’s job in North Carolina,” Caprous said.

Of the three remaining applicants, Caprous said one is from out of state and the other two are from western Pennsylvania.

After meeting with all three, the search committee will make a recommendation on who City Council should interview.

“It could be all three, it could be two, it could be one – and it could be none,” Caprous said.

If none of the three meets the committee’s criteria, the search process will have to begin anew.

“We’ve got to find the right person,” Caprous said, adding that – beyond the necessary education and experience – the committee is looking for someone who has the “maturity and temperament” to lead the city.

Councilman Jack Williams agreed, saying he would want to conduct a new search if a strong candidate does not emerge.

“I’m not going to vote for someone just to say we’ve got a city manager,” Williams said.

City Council has the final say on hiring a manager.

Williams said that, while council likely will make a job offer in December, it probably is not realistic for the selected candidate to start work before the new year.

Council has authorized an annual salary of up to $80,000, depending on qualifications. Davis had been earning $65,000 annually after taking a voluntary $10,000 pay cut for 2009.