Second round of city manager interviews Friday – Redding Record Searchlight

Retired City Manager Kurt Starman gives his thoughts on the challenges ahead for Redding. Sean Longoria

From left, Redding City Council members Adam McElvain, Francie Sullivan, Brent Weaver, Kristen Schreder and Julie Winter meet May 15 to interview candidates for the city's new manager.(Photo: Sean Longoria)

Redding is down to possibly its final candidates to replace now-retired City Manager Kurt Starman.

The City Council on Friday morning will interview the two candidates just a few weeks after it interviewed a larger field of four. The closed-session council meeting starts at 8:15 a.m.

I anticipate a very robust debate between the five of us as we determine what direction to go, Mayor Brent Weaver said.

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Weaver anticipates the interviews to last all morning, he said. Council members may announce whether theyve selected someone after that meeting, though the official hiring would be done at a future council meeting.

Officials still arent saying who theyve interviewed or revealing the identity of the final two candidates.

They got our interest enough to where they made it to this round, Weaver said. They have backgrounds that fit what werelooking for.

Last week the council interviewed four people in closed session. A total of 34 people applied for the post, said Bill Avery of Avery & Associates, whos conducting the search for the city.

More: Redding council interviews city manager hopefuls

Starmans last day was Friday. In a Record Searchlight interview a day earlier, Starman shared the qualities hed like to see in a successor.

For me, at the very top of that list is someone who and this is a given, I suppose, at least in my world someone who is honest and ethical and has high integrity, he said. Someone who is going to represent the city of Redding well and be the face andvoice of the city. Really, be a public servant and serve the community and serve the organization.

Retired Redding City Manager Kurt Starman weighs in on the qualities he'd like to see in the next person who gets the job. Sean Longoria

Among the challenges facing Starmans successor and the city are the areas continued transition from a resource-based economy to something different, increased pension costs, an aging workforce and the citys tendency to focus on the negative without recognizing its own merits,Starman said.

We cant be Pollyanna-ish and ignore challenges or ignore the problem but on the other hand I dont think we should ignore the beauty of our area, the potential of Redding, Starman said. Im very confident Redding has a bright future. Well continue to grow and do well.

More: Redding closer to naming next city manager

Also on that list are pension cost increases hitting local governments across the state this year.

For me, its probably my No. 1 attribute Im looking for is how a new city manager will really interpret where were at financially and how were going to react to that, Weaver said. Are we just going to remain status quo and see real-time services die on the vine or are we going to try new things, take risks, be innovative, all of the above?

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Second round of city manager interviews Friday - Redding Record Searchlight