Kalispell renews search for manager

The Daily Inter Lake

The city of Kalispell is readvertising for city manager applicants following the withdrawal of two of three finalists.

The remaining finalist -Robert Stockwell of Utah - will remain a finalist while others are found, according to Interim City Manager Myrt Webb.

in the past two weeks, Lewiston City Manager Jay Krauss and former Rantoul, Ill., Village Administrator David Johnston withdrew their applications after being named finalists for the Kalispell post.

That leaves only Stockwell, a Riverton, Utah, financial adviser who was the city manager of Sunnyside, Wash., from 2004 to 2007.

In the past, Stockwell had been city manager for Great Falls; Alamogordo, N.M.; West Jordan, Utah; Eureka, Calif.; and Sparks, Nev.

He also was the chief administrative officer for Provo, Utah.

Webb said the city's search committee will readvertise for candidates, while leaving Stockwell as a finalist. He speculated the new search could take two months, if not longer.

The annual salary range for a new Kalispell city manager is from $95,000 to $125,000. The manager has operational authority for a city of roughly 20,000 people with a $52 million budget and about 190 city employees.

The council fired City Manager Jim Patrick in October.

Webb, of Columbia Falls, became Kalispell's interim city manager that same month.