Borough readvertises manager job after first round comes up empty

After coming up with no viable candidates in the first round of applications, the borough assembly has decided to readvertise to fill the manager job.

The borough received seven applications after posting the job last fall, but the only applicant who was selected for an interview already had accepted another job before Wrangell called back, Mayor Patty Gilbert explained last week.

Jeff Good resigned as borough manager last fall to take a civil engineering job with the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs; he has three college degrees in engineering.

The assembly appointed Finance Director Mason Villarma as interim manager until a permanent replacement could be hired.

The assembly voted unanimously at its Jan. 23 meeting to reopen the job for a second round of applications. There is no deadline; the borough will accept applications until the job is filled.

The mayor appointed Assembly Members David Powell and Bob Dalrymple as the vetting committee to conduct initial reviews of the applicants, deciding which candidates to forward to the assembly for consideration.

Villarma did not apply for the job in the first round, though that does not preclude him from applying in the second round, he said last week.

The assembly paused the hiring process after the Nov. 20 landslide that killed six people, but now wants to get working again on finding a new manager, Gilbert said.

“I don’t want someone just maintaining the status quo,” the mayor said. “I don’t want someone using Wrangell as a stepping stone.”

Gilbert said she wants a manager who “has the vision to help lead us to the future,” which includes addressing Wrangell’s costly infrastructure repair needs, such as rebuilding the rot-damaged Public Safety Building.

One of the questions she will ask of applicants is: “How can we grow our economy?” She will particularly look for a candidate with ideas for economic development in the community.

The borough will advertise the job through the Alaska Municipal League, which has a wide reach among municipal officials and job candidates statewide.

Good was hired in January 2022 at an annual salary of $126,000. The borough’s latest job ads do not list a salary range.