Mayor Jim Kessler announced this morning that Emporia’s final two city manager candidates would be Ron Massey of Corpus Christi, Texas and Matt Zimmerman of Prospect Heights, Ill.
"We went back and forth and finally decided these two might bring some different ideas," Kessler said. "That might be the main reason for our choice."
The candidates will come to town Tuesday for an afternoon interview with the Emporia City Commission and an evening public forum at the Little Theater in White Auditorium. A time has not yet been determined for the forum, which will be the same night as Emporia’s primary elections.
The decision means that Dale Bell, the only Emporian among the last five candidates, is out of the running for the job. Bell is Emporia’s former city attorney and assistant city manager and presently works as the chief financial officer for TFI.
Bell was in a meeting in Overland Park this morning and could not be reached immediately for comment.
Although Bell was the only candidate who had not been a city manager, Kessler said that didn’t weigh very heavily in the decision. Kessler noted that the two candidates chosen actually had less city management experience than the other two names on the list, County Administrator Leroy Alsup of Cowley County and City Manager Richard Olson of Elizabeth City, N.C.
“It’s not because all the others weren’t qualified. They were qualified,” Kessler said. “The other three did not lose the job. It’s just that we thought these two brought something we were looking for.”
In addition to “new blood,” Kessler said that fiscal ability also weighed heavily in the choice.
Commissioners met for nearly three hours Monday afternoon in a closed-door session to discuss the final five candidates. All five visited Emporia last week.
MerleCrimbatt (anonymous) says...
Stay out of my basement! Stay off my roof! That’s what they’ll be saying if you don’t elect Merle Crimbatt as your new city manager. And I’ll eat all the peanut butter I want (Salmon Allah (no purported or actual religious fish threat will scare me, thank you) or not). Do you remember the butter qualification? He (I) can tell, and should be elected.
I’m now selling foot powder next to the hot dog guy, and potential voters should try some (foot powder). See you Tuesday.
The Marlin
February 20, 2007 at 9:04 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
4_Emporia (anonymous) says...
Have you been drinking your bath water again?
February 21, 2007 at 2:51 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )