Manteca vets city manager candidates

MANTECA -- The search is on.

On Friday, the Manteca City Council sat down with a handful of potential candidates in hopes of finding a new city manager.

The details of the meeting, held in a room at the Big League Dreams baseball complex, could not be discussed because it was held in closed session, City Attorney John Brinton said.

Karen McLaughlin, the city's current interim city manager, acknowledged she was one of those being interviewed for the job.

In November 2007 the council retained Roseville-based executive hiring firm Bob Murray & Associates to help find a new city manager at a cost of $17,500.

The firm has helped recruit for cities such Monterey and is searching for a city manager for Dublin.

Bob Murray used outreach and advertising to find candidates for the Dublin job, providing the council with a pared-down list that matched a manager profile developed by the council members. The council met last month to discuss the findings.

Before retiring in July 2007, former City Manager Bob Adams served in that post for 11 years.

He was the highest-paid city employee last fiscal year, collecting $189,990, including benefits, according to documents requested from the city.

His salary and compensation increased just weeks before he left the position when Manteca hired John Nowak as deputy city manager. The position was created by Adams in March 2007 before his resignation was announced.

The new city manager will appoint a couple of key department heads, including a police chief, Administrative Services Director Joe Kriskovich said.

Reach Paul Burgarino at pburgarino@bayareanewsgroup.com.

c2008 ANG Newspapers. Cannot be used or repurposed without prior written permission.
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.