The Emporia City Commission will announce its final two candidates for city manager Tuesday morning.
Mayor Jim Kessler said the city wanted to notify both candidates tonight before a public announcement was made. Should both of the candidates back out, the commission would call a special meeting Tuesday to make its next choice.
“Chuck Anderson (the city’s consultant) is going to confirm with those two that they would be available to come back for a final interview next week,” Kessler said.
Kessler also said that a public reception would be held sometime next week for the public to meet the candidates and ask questions of them. The time and date has not been set.
The commission originally received 47 applications for the city manager’s job. That was eventually narrowed to the following five candidates, announced Feb. 9:
— Dale Bell, chief financial officer and president of administrative services for TFI, formerly The Farm, Inc. Bell is the former assistant city manager and city attorney for Emporia and also served as city attorney to New Strawn and Lebo.
— Leroy Alsup, the county administrator of Cowley County. He is a former city manager of Coffeyville and of Cushing, Okla. and Brinkley, Ark. He is a past director of economic development for Altus, Okla.
— Ronald Massey, the assistant city manager for public works and utilities of Corpus Christi, Texas. He is the former city manager of the United States Military Academy at West Point. He has also been the assistant community administrator for the U.S. Army in Stuttgart, Germany and community manager for the U.S. Military Community in Augsburg, Germany.
— Richard Olson, the city manager of Elizabeth City, N.C. He is the former city manager of Liberal, Iola and of Greenacres, Fla. He was also the interim director of planning and community development for St. Joseph, Mo.
— Matthew Zimmerman, the city administrator for Prospect Heights, Ill. He also served as village administrator for Manhattan, Ill. and Elburn, Ill.
Commissioners have said they hope to have a city manager chosen by the end of February.
The commission discussed the five candidates and the hiring process in a closed session today that lasted from 2 p.m. until 4:45 p.m.