S.D. man hired to lead city

Doug Russell will be hired as Kalispell’s next city manager, officials announced Tuesday afternoon.

Russell is 38 and currently is city manager in Yankton, S.D., a job he has held since mid-2008. His tentative starting date in Kalispell is June 18.

“We’re just excited for the opportunity to come back to Montana and happy everything worked out in this fashion. We’re just looking forward to it,” Russell said.

He was one of 44 applicants and three finalists for the city manager job. He will replace Jane Howington, who resigned as city manager in January to take a job in Newport, R.I.

A signed contract goes before the Kalispell City Council for formal approval on Monday, according to Charles Harball, city attorney and interim city manager.

The details of that contract will be released later this week.

Kalispell advertised the position offering a salary range of $95,000 to $125,000.

Russell graduated from Montana State University in 1996 with a degree in psychology. He later earned a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Colorado.

He has worked as an administrator in Lovell, Wyo., Arkansas City, Kan., and most recently Yankton.

Russell will move to Kalispell with his wife, Lara, whom he met at Montana State University, and their two children, Rylan, 11, and Brietta, 13.

Kalispell Mayor Tammi Fisher said all three finalists for the city manager job did exceptionally well in their interviews nearly two weeks ago, but Russell stood out.

“He was certainly the top candidate. Across the board, everyone felt he was the best candidate,” Fisher said.

“His qualifications are superior, he’s a very affable guy, kind, with a genuine interest in community development ... It also pleases me that he was looking for us at the same time we perhaps were looking for him ... I think he’ll be a great leader and a great asset.”

With the council’s approval, Russell will be Kalispell’s sixth city manager since the early 1990s, after Bruce Williams, Clarence Krepps, Chris Kukulski, Jim Patrick and Jane Howington.

Reporter Tom Lotshaw may be reached at 758-4483 or by email at tlotshaw@dailyinterlake.com.