Since the end of last October, the City of Kodiak has been operating with an interim or an acting manager leading the city’s more than 130 employees.
Tim Putney is the latest to hold that position, which he started at the end of May. He will continue to be the interim manager through the end of February or until a permanent manager is hired, whichever one comes first according to his contract.
Putney has also applied to be the next city manager, but he’s in a large candidate pool according to City Clerk Brandy Waernecke.
“There were a total of 30 applicants received. Two applicants have pulled their applications. Wendy Bishop and Darin Hargraves have pulled their applications. So, you currently have 28 active applications," she told the council during the Oct. 29 work session.
Warnecke said the application period closed on Oct. 10.
Putney was not eligible for the job until after the municipal election on Oct. 6 when city residents voted to allow future city managers to live within five road miles of the city instead of requiring them to live in city limits.
Now that those results are finalized, Councilmember Rich Walker said he wants to go ahead and hire Putney as soon as possible.
“This gentleman that's applied and has been working in that capacity, and we've all seen him, and he's done a great job. And you're never going to find that perfect one, but he comes really doggone close to it," Walker said. "And I think we just get going and move forward and hire the person that we have in there right now and move on.”
According to the City’s Attorney, Charles Cacciola, the council could hire Putney without interviewing any of the other applicants.
In a memo Cacciola wrote to the council on Oct. 29, he suggested the council review all 28 applications before the Nov. 10 work session, and then decide at that meeting if they want to interview anyone other than Putney. If not, then the council could potentially offer Putney the position at its regular meeting on Nov. 12.
The council agreed to move forward with that timeline. In the meantime, Councilmember Djuna Davidson encouraged the public to share their input with the council between now and Nov. 12.
“They have had many chances and they will have Nov. 4, Nov. 10, and Nov. 12 before we actually make a decision. Three opportunities to come and tell us what they think," she said.
And for transparency, KMXT employee Terry Haines is also the Kodiak City mayor, who presides over the city council. As KMXT’s morning host, Haines makes editorial decisions about what airs in local newscasts but under KMXT’s policy on editorial independence, he does not edit or review news stories before they are published.
