Published: January 22, 2008 11:25 pm      

Decision on city manager delayed

Council action expected next week

FAIRMONT — Despite indications from Fairmont City Council members that Tuesday’s regular council meeting would result in the naming of a new city manager, the jury is still out on who the new employee is going to be.

At a special meeting Friday, council members, city department heads and the public interviewed and evaluated the three candidates who are up for the job. These candidates are James W. Snider from Kewanee, Ill., Blaine Oborn from Ronceverte, and Richard Douglas from Raeford, N.C.

After that meeting, council members were set to decide on a replacement for Bruce McDaniel following an executive session during Tuesday’s meeting. McDaniel will officially retire from the position this week after 10-plus years of service.

But after council spent about an hour in executive session Tuesday, Mayor Scott Sears read a typed statement just before adjourning the meeting that said that “it would be premature to release any particulars or make an official statement relating to the city manager search.”

The statement said the reason for this was because council did not take a vote or take any official action to name the city manager following an executive session held Friday following the individual interviews held with each of the candidates.

City Attorney Kevin Sansalone said there is a rule in the city’s charter stating that in order to amend the agenda to add this item, the change was required to be made 72 business hours before the scheduled meeting. And because Friday was too late to amend the agenda — and this item was not originally on it — it could not be addressed at Tuesday’s meeting.

Sears’ statement went on to say that council has directed city staff members to draft a proposed agreement setting forth the terms and conditions of employment for the new employee. It said that following a review of this agreement, council is expected to take official action and vote on a resolution naming the city manager at a special public meeting early next week.

Sears added that this meeting will likely be scheduled for Monday evening, and that there is a “possibility” that a candidate will be chosen during that session.

He said that council is close to a decision and has narrowed the choice down to two candidates. But when asked, Sears would not reveal who the two finalists are.

“We are very close. We are down to two candidates as opposed to three,” he said.

In another agenda item Tuesday, McDaniel was named as the interim city manager, which he will serve as until the new candidate is hired and takes over the duties. Council members have also said that they will likely ask McDaniel to help train and transition the new employee once he is hired.

The three current candidates were chosen from among a total 25 applications received in December. A 12-member search committee appointed by council to sift through the applications first narrowed the choices down to six, conducted phone interviews with them and decided on the best three, who were announced last week just before Friday’s interview sessions.

E-mail Mallory Panuska at mpanuska@timeswv.com.