Two candidates sat before the Nome City Council vying for the job of city manager, the pair of applicants the result of search within the ranks of current city employees. The applicants included the head of the city’s Parks and Recreation department, Chip Leeper, and city clerk Tom Moran.
A third applicant—city finance director Julie Liew—withdrew from consideration before last night’s public interviews, saying she could do more for the city in her current job.
But would the search stop at two? Council member Louie Green, Sr. says the city should cast a wider net.
“I am arguing we blocked people of Nome, and any other place in the state, restrict[ed] them from having a part in this,” Green said as the meeting began. “The people of Nome think they’re being cut out from an opportunity to even apply.”
Council members responded the choice to look internally came at the suggestion of outgoing City Manager Josie Bahnke herself, as she prepares to take on the head Division of Elections job for the state. It’s a fact Bahnke reminded the council of before the interviews.
“At one point I’d made the recommendation that we do an internal recruitment for the position of city manager,” she told the council. “And during that discussion, pretty much everybody was here [and] gave me direction to do that [and] gave us a deadline for applications, and this was the process that was agreed upon.”
Council members agreed they were there to review candidates, and so they moved on to do just that.
Chip Leeper was first in the hot seat. With more than 14 years as a city employee, and a history that includes a stint as acting city manager, Leeper said his work with Parks and Rec has prepared him for the job, and exposed him to other departments within the city.
“In one way shape or form I’ve interacted with them over the last decade and a half. Pretty much all the projects that we have that are a little bit medium or largest in size require inter-departmental planning and coordination,” Leeper said. “I work with finance because I have to do my purchasing and planning, the fire department holds events at our facilities. When we do stuff with our playgrounds we have to get public works and building maintenance on board, and I know they each have their separate priorities they have to do, and that can be tough and challenging.”
City clerk Tom Moran was in front of the council next, and stressed his law degree, private law practice, and hands-on experience with different facets of city operations in his more than two years as clerk. Beyond his experience, he said he has some new ideas for the city as well.
“I, in the future, see a couple of things that are on the horizon, like the Middle Beach Park plan. As soon as that was brought forward to the planning commission I said that’s a great idea, that’s something that Nome needs,” Moran began.
“I think a dog park is very important, because as we all know dogs aren’t allowed in our current city parks.,” he continued. “I’ve heard people mention a salvage yard, and I think the city could get into the business of doing a salvage yard because that monofill sits out there and vehicles end up getting crushed, and we don’t see a penny for doing that.”
In the end it was a unanimous vote by the council in favor of clerk Moran. The council is directing outgoing manager Bahnke to negotiate a contract with Moran for the job. Just when he’ll take over the position was unclear—but Bahnke leaves for her new job in Juneau in October.
