It’s been a month since the City of Kodiak’s manager retired and Acting City Manager Josie Bahnke took over the position on May 1. Meanwhile, the city’s hiring committee is reviewing resumes for 16 candidates who have applied to be Kodiak’s next city manager.
The committee is made up of three Council members; John Whiddon, Rich Walker, and Annika Woods, along with Mayor Pat Branson. Over the course of the next month, the four-person group plans to whittle down the candidates to a handful of finalists and recommend those to the full City Council to make a final hiring decision.
Individuals from all over the country have applied to be the city manager, from Ohio to Wyoming and various states in between. The candidate list also includes Kodiak’s Director of Public Works Sterling Lewis, Dave Johnson the harbormaster, as well as Acting City Manager Bahnke.
Hiring committee member, and Council member, John Whiddon said during a committee meeting on May 29 that he’s glad to see numerous applicants from a variety of backgrounds applying for the job.
“I was happy to see as many applicants as we have, with a wide range of experience and different leadership experience, management experience. So I was really pleased to see such a big response," Whiddon explained.
Currently the online job application is closed for the Kodiak city manager position so this pool of applicants will be the only ones considered at this time. The hiring committee is scheduled to meet again later in June.
*Editor's Note: A previous version of this story used an outdated image with a "City of Kodiak Offices" sign that is no longer in use. The photo has since been updated.
