Whitefish city manager finalists selected

The search for a new city manager in Whitefish has been narrowed to a slate of six finalists, mostly from Western states.

The City Council will hold an open-house reception for the finalists at 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2, at The Loft, 124 Central Ave. Final interviews will be conducted Nov. 3.

A new manager should be selected by the following week, according to Seattle consultant Greg Prothman.

The city hired Prothman's firm to lead the search for a replacement for Gary Marks, who left in August to take a city manager job in Ketchum, Idaho. Invitations were sent to 700 city administrators in 14 Western states and advertisements were placed in 13 professional periodicals.

Prothman narrowed the list from 64 to 14 candidates, and with assistance from the council further pared the list to six finalists.

They include:

. James Antonen: He has 26 years of city administration and management experience, most recently serving as city manager in Davis, Calif., from 2001 to 2006. For the past two years he has been employed with Bob Murray and Associates as a senior manager, conducting executive searches for local-government managers.

He has a history degree from Dakota State University in Madison, S.D., and a master's degree in public administration from the University of South Dakota.

. Peter Boyce: He's currently the administrative-services manager for the city of Missoula. Boyce has more than 10 years of experience in city and county government, including a stint as county administrator of Wabasha County, Minn.

He has a degree in technology and business development from Montana Tech.

. Curt Carver: He's had a long career in public service and has held chief administrative officer positions for the past 21 years, both as village manager in Carpentersville, Ill., and in his current job as village administrator in Inverness, Ill., an upscale community near Chicago.

Carver has a political-science degree from Northern Illinois University and attended the Senior Executive Institute at the University of Virginia and the JFK School of Government at Harvard University.

. Jay Krauss: He's the city manager in Lewiston, Idaho, and has nearly 20 years experience in city management.

His work experience includes 10 years as city administrator in Sturgeon Bay, Wis. Krauss has a political-science degree and master's degree in public administration from Northern Illinois University.

. Chuck Stearns: He lived in Whitefish from 1980 to 1982 and currently is town administrator in Georgetown, Colo. Stearns has more than 20 years of public-service experience.

He has a degree in finance business administration from the University of Colorado and a master's degree in public administration from the University of Montana.

. Dave Torgler: He has worked more than 20 years in municipal management and administration, most recently serving as town manager of Winter Park, Colo. Prior to that he was city administrator for the city of Burlington, Wis.

He has a degree in public administration and history from Western Michigan University and a master's degree in public administration from Northern Illinois University.

The Whitefish city-manager job was advertised for a salary range of $110,000 to $130,000 a year.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com