Knoxville — Richard Fursman has provided the Journal-Express with the names and profiles of the five finalists for Knoxville's City Manager position. The city council intended to invite six finalists to interview at the end of the month. However, Fursman says one of them dropped out of the running.
Those who intend to interview for the position include, in alphabetical order:
• Mike Hays. Hays is currently the County Administrator for Fulton County, Ill. In this position, he oversees 250 employees and a budget of $12.3 million, $22.9 million including the hospital. He has city manager experience in Macomb, Ill., Iowa Falls, Kewanee, Ill., Davenport and Johnston. Among his accomplishments are a visioning program in Iowa Falls, which worked to build a new aquatic center and library. He worked to bring the city administrator program to Kewanee.
• Al Roder. Roder's last employment is listed as city administrator for Norfolk, Neb. There, he supervised 200 employees for a town with a population of 23,900. Roder has a Master's in Public Administration from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and has served in a city management role in Northfield, Minn., and Denison, Iowa. He also has experience in economic development and was named Economic Developer of the Year for the State of Minnesota in 1999.
• Dave Van Dee. Van Dee is currently the city administrator for Lake Ozark, Mo., and oversees 17 people. He has also served as city administrator for Hiawatha, iowa, and Dyersville, Iowa, assistant city planner in Waterloo and executive director of the Waterloo Redevelopment Authority. He was recognized in 2008 for his leadership in making Hiawatha's new city hall, community center and police department a reality.
• Brian Weuve. Weuve is currently the city manager for Iowa Falls, a position he has held since 2007. Prior to that, he served as city administrator for Park Rapids, Minn., and Lisbon, Iowa. Weuve earned his Master's in Public Administration from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 2005. Weuve developed five-year capital improvements plans for Iowa Falls and Park Rapids and worked on trails planning for Park Rapids.
• Jason White. White's last employment was with the Midwest Partnership EDC in west-central Iowa. He holds a Master's in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Iowa and worked as a research analyst for the Iowa House of Representatives. White has worked on campaigns for Elizabeth Dole and Charles Grassley. White secured grants for Coralville which resulted in that city being the most awarded small community by the EPA Brownfield Program.
Interviews are expected to take place the last weekend in January. Look to the Journal-Express as the search for a replacement for retiring City Manager Dick Schrad moves forward.
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