And then there were three.
Craig Malin – the Davenport, Iowa, city administrator and one of four remaining finalists for Tacoma’s city manager job – has bowed out of the running.
“I emailed the executive recruiter this afternoon, asking him to inform the mayor and City Council to withdraw my candidacy,” Malin told The News Tribune on Monday afternoon.
Asked why he was backing out, Malin declined to say.
“I don’t think that’s appropriate for me to discuss,” he said. “… I am not certain that (recruiter Colin Baenziger) has passed this information on yet, and I want to respect the process.”
Baenziger said Malin’s email indicated “he doesn’t see this as a good fit for him, to sum it up in a few words.”
Malin was one of four finalists who participated in an intensive, three-day interview in Tacoma last week. The remaining finalists are Tacoma interim City Manager Rey Arellano, San Antonio assistant city manager T.C. Broadnax, and Lakewood City Manager Andrew Neiditz.
Tacoma’s City Council might choose the next manager as early as today. The council held an executive session Monday to talk about the finalists and has planned a second closed-door meeting this morning. The council is expected to hold a public discussion during tonight’s council meeting, when a vote could be taken.
Before coming to Tacoma last week, Malin appeared to be a tepid finalist. He told media in his hometown that he wasn’t sure he would participate in the interview process. He later told The News Tribune that a scheduling conflict made it impossible for him to arrive in Tacoma for a holiday reception scheduled for the candidates last week.
Bill Gluba, Davenport’s mayor, told The News Tribune last week that his city’s council intended to give Malin a big pay raise to persuade him to stay put. Malin, who has been Davenport’s city administrator for more than a decade, makes about $168,000 in annual salary. The Tacoma job pays from $183,600 to $235,370 per year.
While in Tacoma last week, Malin was asked about his prospective pay raise and why he wanted the Tacoma job. He responded:
“Good city managers are in the business to meet challenges. I’m taking four days out of my life to be here. So, I’m a serious candidate.”
Malin, 48, is the second of five finalists to bow out. Frederick Russell, the city administrator in Augusta, Ga., withdrew from consideration before last week’s interviews.
Baenziger said Monday that “it is not atypical” for one or two candidates to withdraw their candidacies during the hiring processes.
Lewis Kamb: 253-597-8542
lewis.kamb@thenewstribune.com
blog.thenewstribune.com/politics
Twitter: @lewiskamb
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