Officials in Edgewood are nearing the end of their three-month search for a new city manager.

The City Council has selected five finalists – all from inside Washington state – and will interview them Monday. Council members hope to make a final selection at their meeting Tuesday.

The person they choose will replace former Edgewood City Manager Kim Wilde, who left the city in July after less than a year on the job. He was preceded by City Manager Henry Lawrence, who resigned in January 2008 after holding the job since 1998, two years after Edgewood became a city.

The public has a chance to meet the finalists at an open house Sunday. They are:

 • Mark Bauer, Enumclaw’s city manager since 1999.

 • Mark Kunkler, who was the city attorney in Sunnyside for 17 years and assistant city manager there for six years.

 • Mick Monken, who was public works director in Woodinville from 1999 to 2007 and now works as a project manager at an engineering consulting firm in Everett.

 • Subir Mukerjee, who was assistant city manager in Olympia from 2005 to 2009.

 • Gwendolyn Voelpel, who was city administrator in Black Diamond from 2007 until September 2009.

Edgewood Mayor Jeff Hogan said council members are looking for someone with experience and a hands-on approach.

“We’re a small city, so it’s going to have to be a hands-on city manager,” Hogan said Wednesday. “The person has pretty much got to wear multiple hats – they’ve got to do everything.”

Though council members never had a chance to formally evaluate Wilde before negotiating his departure, city staff gave him low marks for leadership, according to records obtained by The News Tribune. Comments said Wilde hesitated to make decisions and relied heavily on staff to get things done.

On Sunday, the public may ask questions of the candidates and complete feedback forms to give the council, Hogan said.

The event will also help council members judge the candidates’ interpersonal skills, said Edgewood Councilman Mike Kelley.

“Part of it is to see how they interact with a group of people,” Kelley said. “It’s just another piece of the overall puzzle.”

Edgewood used a search firm, Prothman Co. of Seattle, to help solicit applicants and select finalists. That’s the same firm city officials used last year to find Wilde.

Because Wilde stayed in Edgewood less than two years, Prothman is waiving its $18,000 professional fee. The company is charging the city only for search-related expenses such as travel costs for finalists.

So far, those expenses have totaled $3,159, Edgewood Finance Director Janet Caviezel said Thursday.

Melissa Santos: 253-552-7058

melissa.santos@thenewstribune.com

WELCOME RECEPTION

Edgewood residents are invited to meet the finalists for the open city manager position and tell the City Council what they think.

WHEN: 3:30 to 5 p.m. Sunday

WHERE: Edgewood City Hall, 2224 104th Ave. E.