Mat-Su Assembly winnows candidates from 11 to 7

PALMER — The Mat-Su Borough Assembly announced progress Wednesday in its search for a new manager — the list of candidates has narrowed from 11 to seven.

Those remaining candidates are:

• James Wilson, county manager with Galveston County, Texas

• Melinda Carlton, township manager with Vernon Township, N.J.

• Don Baird, town manager of Granby, Colo.

• Philip Oates, city manager for Seward

• Eric Strahl, city manager with Menominee, Mich.

• Gregory Young, city administrator of Ferndale, Wash.

• Desmond Mayo, director of finance with Crowley Petroleum Distribution

Which means the candidates eliminated are: Gary Adams, administrator with the city of Oswego, Ill; Robert Reardon, director of operations and maintenance with the Tampa-Hillsborough Expressway Authority in Tampa, Fla.; Charles Whiting, administrative coordinator for St. Croix County in Wisconsin; and Dr. Martin Moore, general manager with the Timberton Water and Sanitation District in New Mexico.

The assembly interviewed candidates Monday and plans to discuss the remaining seven names in a closed-door session next week. More interviews are scheduled for Oct. 26. There is not a firm date set for when a manager will be selected.

Assemblywoman Cindy Bettine said in an e-mail Monday that the next round of interviews will include input from the two new assembly members who won election last week. She said she hopes the assembly will get the list down to two or three to interview in person.

The status of the manager’s job was in question prior to last week, when voters chose not to replace the manager with a strong mayor. The person selected will run the borough’s day-to-day operations,