A public meet and greet has been scheduled for next week to allow residents the opportunity to see the front-running candidates for city manager.
Candidates Gene Green and Lisa Von Bargen will be coming here for in-person interviews with the Borough Assembly on April 5, an executive session which will be closed to the public. Following that, at 6 p.m. at the Stikine Inn an open event is planned to include interested residents, complete with light refreshments.
The candidates were selected during a second round of searching, in the effort to replace outgoing manager Jeff Jabusch. With him retiring Friday after four decades at City Hall, city staff and the Assembly have been trying to find someone to fill the position since his announcement in September. The first round of searching, which wrapped up in mid February, proved fruitless as most of the candidates had dropped out or taken other offers. A more expedited review process was adopted, and of the interested candidates Von Bargen and Green have been invited to appear in person.
Von Bargen is currently the community and economic development director for Valdez, a position she has held since 2001. Prior to that she served five years with the Valdez Convention and Visitors Bureau as director and tourism manager, and was executive director for the city’s Chamber of Commerce for 21 months. Her resume lists a wide range of project experience pertinent to city management, such as grant writing and land redevelopment.
Green is currently the project manager for Clackamas County, Oregon, after serving for two years as manager for the city of Damascus, also in Clackamas. He had been reassigned within the county after the city of 10,700 voted to discorporate in May 2016. His prior public experience spans 40 years, including management positions in Kearny, Arizona; Molalla, Oregon; and Unalaska.
While there may be a quorum of Assembly members present at Wednesday’s evening soiree, no item actions will be taken. The public is encouraged to stop on by.
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