The search for a new city manager in Fort Madison netted a great deal of interest.
Mayor Brad Randolph said 26 applications came in from candidates interested in replacing Byron Smith, who took a similar job in Oregon. Randolph was on the committee that recommended Smith roughly five years ago.
"We will all admit that we were very happy with what Byron (Smith) achieved and how well he fit into our way of live in southeast Iowa," Randolph said. "And I think we have another winner in this group as well."
The city council has narrowed the field to eight candidates. Phone interviews will be conducted on Tuesday, August 26.
The identities of the eight candidates will not be released due to confidentiality requests.
The city council will use those interviews to cut the field in half. The four finalists will be brought to the city in mid-September to meet with the city council, city staff and residents.
Randolph said Fort Madison hopes to extend an offer to its top selection after the face-to-face interviews. He said the goal is to have a new city manager in place by November 1, in time to start preparing the city's next budget.
Randolph said he will continue to maintain regular office hours (Wed AM/Fri PM) at City Hall while the search continues.
