Haines Borough public facilities director Brad Ryan is among seven candidates who submitted applications for the interim manager position by the Dec. 4 deadline.
In his cover letter, Ryan asked the assembly to reject the idea of hiring an executive search firm to recruit its next permanent manager.
“I would like to conclude by urging you not to use precious borough resources to hire a headhunting firm, but to provide me the opportunity to prove my effectiveness as the Haines Borough manager not just as the interim, but on a full-time basis,” Ryan wrote.
The assembly’s personnel committee will meet at noon Friday to discuss the seven applications.
Several of the applicants under consideration have Alaska experience, including George Edes, who was fired from his job as Skagway Borough Manager in October 2013 when the Skagway Borough Assembly failed to pass a motion to retain him.
Edes also worked as city manager for the City of Elko, Nev., from Feb. 1995 to Aug. 1996, and for the City of Coalinga, Calif., from March 1998 to Feb. 2001. According to Edes’ application, in both cases he was asked to tender his resignation.
Gary Durr, who currently lives in Soldotna, is retired and last worked in Wasilla as a Charter College criminal justice and paralegal instructor from 2010 to 2014. He also worked as a paralegal specialist for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Anchorage from 1991 to 1999.
In addition to Ryan, Edes and Durr, other applicants include Alan Lanning of Steamboat Springs, Colo., Keith Neil of Farmington, N.M., Deborah Schwartz of Little Rock, Ark., and Jerry Presley of Altamonte Springs, Fla.
In a memo sent to assembly members Monday, acting borough manager Julie Cozzi said she received an additional application after the Dec. 4 deadline, from a person in Bakersfield, Calif. That application won’t be considered unless the interim manager position isn’t filled from the seven on-time applicants, Cozzi said.
“Conceivably, the (personnel) committee could end up with a short list to recommend to the assembly for a closer look, including interviews,” Cozzi said.
Haines resident Debra Schnabel also submitted an application Wednesday, coming in after the deadline.
In his cover letter to the assembly, public facilities director Ryan said he has had the opportunity to work with the past three borough managers.
Ryan speculated those managers moved to Haines before becoming invested in the community, and the stress of the job prevented them from being community-oriented and seeing the virtues of Haines.
“While I may not have a degree in public administration, finance, or business administration, more importantly I am invested in the community of Haines and I can back that up with a successful track record of working with municipal governments, tribes, the State of Alaska, and the federal government throughout Southeast Alaska,” Ryan wrote.
Before becoming public facilities director, Ryan worked as executive director of the Southeast Alaska Watershed Coalition. He has also worked for Takshanuk Watershed Council, Chilkoot Indian Association and NOAA. He has a PhD in environmental science and a bachelor’s degree in biology.
A cursory Internet search of the other candidates shows Lanning, of Steamboat Springs, Colo., has generated a sizeable amount of controversy since working as a city manager.
According to CBS Denver, Lanning came under fire from elected officials in Central City, Colo., when he went to a job interview in Burlington, Iowa, less than a year after he was hired. When asked by the Central City Mayor about the interview, Lanning said he never intended to take the job and only went for the interview so the city of Burlington would pay for his trip so he could visit family members who lived nearby.
CBS Denver also reported Lanning used public money to pay for golf at the Colorado Municipal League conference, which he defended as a networking opportunity.
According to Steamboat Today, Lanning was granted a $133,000 interest-free loan from the city of Steamboat Springs in 2006 to find housing. He bought a $665,000 home using the loan. He resigned in 2008, triggering a clause in his contract that required the loan be repaid in six months.
Lanning has received multiple extensions, but as of this week has failed to repay any of the loan, said Kim Weber, finance director for the City of Steamboat Springs.
After Steamboat Springs, Lanning became the city manager of Lake City, Minn., in July 2014. In July 2015, according to the Post Bulletin, the Lake City council unanimously approved a separation agreement with Lanning. The agreement contained a non-disparagement clause effectively barring Lanning and city officials from talking about the separation.
Lanning has applied for manager jobs in Sitka, Juneau and Kodiak in the past several years.
Applicant Neil is currently working as an associate city planner in Farmington, N.M., and has held that job since July. Prior to that, Neil was the director of operations and associate pastor at Pinon Hills Community Church, and a history instructor and sports coach at Farmington High School.
Applicant Presley owns a consulting group and previously worked as the city administrator/city clerk for the City of Baldwin, Ga., and as a senior policy analyst and lobbyist for the Council for Quality Growth in Duluth, Ga.
Applicant Schwartz has worked in the aviation industry since 1986, including as executive director of the Little Rock National Airport from 1994-2007 and as president of Strategic Aviation Solutions, LLC from 2008-2013.