On Tuesday, Nome residents will have the chance to meet and question the three City Manager candidates during a public meeting. Those candidates are: interim City Manager John Handeland, Glenn Steckman of Pennsylvania, and Randy E. Robertson of Maryland.
Randy E. Robertson served as the City Manager of Cordova from 2013 to 2016, according to his application, before resigning in 2016. Cordova Human Resources Director Cindy Appleton said there was no public reason given for Robertson’s resignation; the Council and Robertson did not pursue a contract for a second term. She did tell KNOM that she remembered Robertson being “a very good manager.” Robertson is currently serving as the City Manager of Aberdeen, Maryland, an industrial city just outside of Baltimore and home to the U.S. Army Proving Ground.
Since 2006, Robertson has served as the city manager in five cities, all in different states.
Glenn Steckman comes to Nome by way of Pennsylvania; his application lists municipal management experience back to 2002. Most recently, Steckman served as city manager of Reading, Pennsylvania. According to local Pennsylvania media, Steckman was fired from his city manager position in Reading in 2018, but the city administration would not confirm with KNOM the reason for his termination. Previously to that, he worked for seven years as City Administrator for Easton, Pennsylvania. His application highlights their financial growth under his tenure, from a city in danger of municipal bankruptcy to a city with an A+ bond rating.
Lastly, current interim Manager John Handeland made the list of final applicants. Handeland has served Nome as city manager since former manager Tom Moran resigned in October 2018. During this time, Handeland has overseen the transition of a new police chief and worked with the Council and local residents to create the city’s first public safety commission. Handeland also works as the manager of Nome Joint Utilities System and was previously the Mayor of Nome from 1985-1999.
Tuesday’s public meeting begins at 5:30pm in the Council Chambers at City Hall.
Pre-submitted questions for the three candidates are encouraged, and city staff say those will be given priority. If you have questions you’d like to submit, send them via email to City Clerk Bryant Hammond.
Image at top: The entrance to the Nome City Council chambers. Photo: Emily Hofstaedter, KNOM.
