Manager hopeful has eyed Kalispell for some time

One of three finalists for Kalispell’s city manager job, Doug Russell sees a chance to move to a beautiful part of Montana and bring his two children closer to their maternal grandparents in Great Falls.

“We try to make it out to the Flathead every summer when it’s nice and warm and the cherries are out,” said Russell, the city manager of Yankton, S.D., a city of about 14,500 people on the Missouri River in the state’s southeast corner.

Russell, who is 38 and the youngest of the finalists visiting Kalispell for job interviews this week, has had his eyes on the Kalispell job for some time.

“We actually watched when the position opened up two and a half or three years ago, but we’d only been in Yankton for maybe a year and couldn’t really put an application out,” he said. “We thought maybe it would open up again in another five years, so here we are.”

ORIGINALLY FROM northern Wyoming, Russell met his wife at Montana State University, where he graduated with a psychology degree.

Out of school, Russell took a job with Denver County, Colo., working in environmental health. That’s where he got his interest in public administration.

“I became very much aware of organizational design and started wondering, ‘How do you get your hands around something with 10,000 employees and manage that?’”

Intrigued, Russell enrolled at the University of Colorado and later graduated with a Master’s in Public Administration. “It’s been a tremendously rewarding profession,” he said.

FROM 2004 to 2006, Russell worked as town administrator for Lovell, Wyo., a town of 2,300 people in the north-central part of the state.

“Hating to leave” but seeing a chance for professional growth, Russell left to take a city manager job in Arkansas City, Kan., population 12,400.

He worked for Arkansas City for almost two years before leaving to take his job in Yankton.

“I was there for maybe three months when they had an election and there was a majority turnover with a different vision and the fit just wasn’t as strong as before,” Russell said.

RUSSELL SAID he found a good fit in Yankton, where he has been working as city manager since mid-2008.

A county seat and regional economic hub, Yankton, like much of South Dakota, has emerged from the national recession faster and in better shape than many cities.

The unemployment rate is under 5 percent. Sales tax receipts — one of the primary municipal revenue sources — are up for a second straight year.

Yankton avoided layoffs during the recession but has implemented “smart organizational changes” in some departments, Russell said.

Through a public-private partnership, Yankton has brought in a new home improvement store to fill a retail hole, with Russell playing a role in the talks. The store is expected to open soon and have a $30 million impact on the local economy.

Talks are ongoing about Yankton buying the state’s old Human Services Center grounds, spurring all sorts of ideas about what the 36-acre property could be used for to boost tourism.

Other redevelopment discussions are focused on the riverfront.

Last fall, Yankton decided to take over operation of Chan Gurney Municipal Airport after it was unable to negotiate a contract with the airport’s fixed-base operator. That move, controversial in some circles, was fully backed by the city commission.

RUSSELL IS in the running for Kalispell’s city manager job along with Tom Steele of Pleasant Grove, Utah, and John Sutherland Jr. of Santa Fe, N.M.

Steele and Sutherland are both in their 60s and between jobs. Unlike those two, Kalispell is the only city Russell has applied to work for.

Yankton Mayor David Knoff said the Yankton City Commission had some mixed feelings about news of Russell’s job application in Kalispell, reported in the Yankton Daily Press and Dakotan.

“On the one hand, I hope it doesn’t work out [for him in Kalispell] because things are going fine here. But if this is an opportunity for him to get back to his roots, we understand that,” Knoff said.

Russell has worked well with city commission members, Knoff said.

“He understands his role and really seeks input from the commission. At the same time, when we give him direction he grabs it and runs with it. It’s been a great situation we’ve been in the last couple years.”

RUSSELL SAID he enjoys life in Yankton and aside from Kalispell is not looking for work anywhere else.

“I’ve always been a fan of Kalispell. This is just one of those opportunities that doesn’t come along frequently in the city management field,” he said.

Like the two other city manager finalists, Russell has been watching Kalispell City Council meetings and reading the newspaper online to catch up on issues and personalities.

“I’m aware of some of the hot topics,” he said. “The key is that challenges occur in every community. Opportunities are there as well.”

Russell encourages Kalispell residents to meet all three city manager finalists at Thursday’s public reception.

“I’d invite anyone to come out and just ask us any questions they may have ... That’s one of the fun things about it, meeting people and seeing what the tone of the community is.”

Russell said he and his wife are excited about a chance to possibly come and work in Montana, especially a popular destination such as Kalispell. “We’re happy to be where we are in the process ... We’ve always talked about Montana as a destination.”

Meet the finalists this week

The three finalists for Kalispell city manager will tour the city and meet with city department heads and staff on Wednesday.

They then will attend a public reception Thursday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Conrad Mansion Museum.

On Friday starting at 10:30 a.m., the City Council will interview the three finalists. The interviews at City Hall are open to the public.

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