After a meeting that dragged late into Tuesday night, the City Council chose five finalists in the search for Tacoma’s next city manager, including the man who is now temporarily filling the job.
The council selected Interim City Manager Rey Arellano to advance to a multi-day interview process of finalists next week and will bring four candidates to join him. The other finalists include:
• T.C. Broadnax, assistant city manager of San Antonio, Tex.
Broadnax, an 18-year public administrator, was generally praised for his budgeting background and community relations skills. He was the only candidate all nine council members voted unanimously to advance to the finalists’ round.
• Andrew Neiditz, city manager of Lakewood
Neiditz, a local candidate with professional experience dating to 1975, won kudos from supporters for his work on Lakewood’s relations with Joint Base Lewis McChord and for skillfully managing that city during trying times. The council voted 6 to 3 to advance him.
• Frederick Russell, city administrator of Augusta, Ga.
Russell, a 35-year government employee, is a former police chief with a strong law enforcement background who had a reference from Virginia’s governor. Supporting council members say his application showed strong managerial skills on livability issues and relating to diverse communities. The council advanced him 6 to 3.
• Craig Malin, city administrator of Davenport, Iowa.
Malin, with 25 years of experience including a decade in Davenport, demonstrated in his application financial management prowess, economic development know-how and a collaborative spirit, supporters say. The council voted 7 to 2 to advance him.
“I’m excited to be part of the final slate,” Arellano said late Tuesday. “Clearly, this is a great group of candidates. I make no assumptions and I look forward to the competition.”
All council members but Joe Lonergan voted to advance Arellano, a deputy manager under former Tacoma City Manager Eric Anderson for five years who also served as a deputy manager in San Diego for four years. Arellano was named interim manager in July after the council fired Anderson.
Two other candidates – Marianna Marysheva-Martinez, interim town manager of Mammoth Lakes, Calif., and Donald Krupp, Thurston County administrator – reached the semi-finalist stage, but didn’t make the final cut.
The council’s selection process involved openly debating all semi-finalists’ qualifications Tuesday, then voting on whether to advance each candidate by name.
But the selection didn’t come without some late procedural tinkering after The News Tribune raised questions about whether a process the council had planned to use violated the state’s Open Meetings Act.
Read more: blog.thenewstribune.com/politics/.
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