Eight candidates chosen as Carson City manager position

Four applicants from Nevada, including one from Carson City, are among eight who will be interviewed publicly Saturday in the next step to select a new Carson City manager.

Included are Mike Mitchell, Carson City School District director of operations; Rex Reed, administrator of the Offender Management Division at the state Department of Corrections; Linda Ritter, Elko city manager; and Robert Hunt, former manager of the Incline Village General Improvement District.

Carson City supervisors whittled the list of applicants to eight candidates after hearing recommendations from an advisory panel of city employees and community members.

Following Saturday's interviews by the panel, supervisors will be presented with a list of finalists at their April 3 meeting. Based on the recommendation, supervisors will select a final list of three to eight applicants, said Ann Beck, director of human resources.

Finalists will be interviewed publicly at board's regular meeting April 17. Supervisors may make their final decision at that time, Beck said.

Former city manager John Berkich left the post at the end of January after more than 12 years on the job to take a position as deputy county manager in Washoe County. The city has since received 68 applicants, but some did not meet the qualifications.

Candidates for the job include:

-- Mitchell, of Reno, who has supervised five departments as director of operations at the school district since 1992. He has a bachelor's degree in architecture from Montana State University and worked as a self-employed architect from 1978 to 1991. "I'm enthused about going through the next step," Mitchell said.

-- Reed, of Reno, who has worked in his current post since 2002. He has worked for the state the Department of Corrections, Nevada Public Utilities Commission and Nevada Public Service Commission. He has been active in Carson City community activities and has a master's degree in public administration from the University of Nevada, Reno.

-- Ritter, who has been Elko city manager and chief financial officer since 1997. Before becoming manager, Ritter worked her way up at the county of Elko, serving as chief deputy treasurer beginning in 1983, to administrative assistant, assistant county manager and comptroller. She holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from UNR.

-- Hunt, former general manager of the Incline Village General Improvement District from 1984 to 1993. He now runs Educational Field Studies, a student-travel program in Incline Village. Hunt earned a master's degree in public policy from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich.

-- James Palenick, city manager of Bay City, Mich. from 1996 to 2002, now works as a consultant to local government. He has held the post of city and village manager of the City of Dowagiac, Mich., Village of Dexter. Palenick holds a master's of public administration from Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Mich.

-- Thomas Morrison, city administrator of Plainfield, N. J. from 1996 to 2002. Morrison served as business administrator in the city of Orange Township, Orange, N. J., and holds a master's degree in accounting and finance from the Columbia University graduate school of business.

-- David Fraser, city administrator of the City of Beloit, Kan., since 1998. He was also city manager of Buchanan, Mich.,and town administrator of Milliken, Colo. Fraser earned a master's of public administration from Brigham Young University.

-- Bruce Williams, city manager of Lake Havasu, Ariz.,since 1996. Williams has held the post of city manager in Kalispell, Mont., Steubenville, Ohio, Cottage Grove, Ore. and other administrative posts in local government since 1970. He holds a master's degree in public affairs from the University of Oregon.

IF YOU GO

What: Public interviews of Carson City manager applicants

When: 8 a.m. Saturday

Where: Donald W. Reynolds room, Western Nevada Community College, 2201 W. College Parkway

Where to watch: Carson Access Television will broadcast the interviews.