PORT ANGELES — Port Angeles’ new city manager withdrew his application for the same job in Dublin, Ohio, on Monday after being interviewed by the Port Angeles City Council the Friday before.
“I felt very encouraged by the interview in Port Angeles,” said Kent Myers, of Hot Springs, Ark.
“Port Angeles was where I wanted to be.”
Dublin Mayor Marilee Chinnici-Zuercher confirmed that Myers was one of six finalists and that he withdrew his application.
Myers, 56, announced his resignation as city manager of Hot Springs on Nov. 18 after serving about 14 years in the position.
His resignation was initially set to take effect at the end of the year but was bumped up by the seven-member Hot Springs Board of Directors — the equivalent of Port Angeles’ City Council — to Nov. 25.
Myers will be sworn in as city manager at the City Council’s Tuesday regular meeting, if the council approves his contract.
Mayor Gary Braun said on Wednesday that the contract, which has been signed by Myers, will be made available to the public at the meeting, if the council approves it.
City officials have not announced Myers’ salary or benefits.
The new city manager will take over from interim City Manager Jerry Osterman on Jan. 12.
Looking for a year
Myers announced to the Hot Springs board about a year ago that he was looking for a new job.
He said he resigned to focus on the job search, although he had nothing lined up at the time.
The city of Hot Springs announced Myers’ new job on Wednesday, and he spent Thursday morning on the radio and speaking to the local newspaper, The Sentinel-Record.
Myers was Hot Springs’ longest-serving city manager, according to the newspaper.
His city management career stretches back 27 years at three cities.
Myers said he had received a job offer about every other week, mostly for city management, over the last year.
“I had a number of calls from people that wanted me to apply,” he said. “I have an excellent track record in this profession.”
Over the last year, Myers said he applied for five city manager positions prior to applying for the Port Angeles position. He found out about the job through the International City Managers Association.
The city hired Waldron & Co. of Seattle for $25,000 to find applicants. The company’s Web site advertised the position paying between $130,000 to $155,000, along with benefits.
Myers was one of more than 80 applicants for the job.
Hot Springs board members who spoke to the Peninsula Daily News also felt Myers had an excellent track record as their city manager.
“Everything he did he gave you 110 percent,” said Hot Springs board member Elaine Jones.
“He was great for Hot Springs.”
Another board member, Rick Ramick, said Myers accomplished a lot for the city, particularly the construction of the largest convention center in Arkansas, during his 14-year tenure.
“I personally hate to see him leave,” he said.
“He will do a good job for [Port Angeles]. I can promise you that.”
Braun said he was impressed that Myers stayed with the city of Hot Springs for 14 years.
“I think that says a lot about any city manager that they can weather the storm . . . for a number of years,” he said.
Severance pay
The Hot Springs board approved providing Myers $15,000 in severance pay last month, though they eliminated his contract in August.
Jones said that, by eliminating the contract, Myers became an “at-will employee,” which allowed him to leave when he wished.
The board members made that decision because they had known since last year that he was looking for another job, she said.
As an at-will employee, Myers received compensation for unused vacation and sick leave. Myers said it totals to about $40,000.
Ramick and Jones both said the board felt that Myers deserved the severance pay for his 14 years of service.
“We thought he had done a good job for us,” Ramick said. “It was our parting gift from us.”
His annual salary was $125,000, according to The Sentinel-Record.
Myers said on Thursday that he is getting ready to move and that he has made an offer on a home on Peabody Street.
“I want to live in the city and be real close to work,” said Myers, who places an emphasis on being accessible to the public.
He said he and his wife, Dianne, like Port Angeles’ quality of life and were looking forward to enjoying the area’s outdoor recreation.
In the meantime, Myers said he intends to enjoy “quality time with my family.” Myers and his wife have two adult sons.
Myers said he contacted members of the City Council on Thursday to thank them for choosing him.
He will be the first permanent city manager since Mark Madsen’s resignation took effect on Sept. 1.
Madsen resigned on Sept. 1. In July, he cited “untenable, hostile working conditions” as the reason for his departure. He was paid $148,000 annually and received $37,000 in severance pay.
Osterman, 63, who is paid $12,000 a month, was selected by the City Council on Sept. 2 for the interim position.
He said he has enjoyed the interim position immensely, and plans to re-enter retirement after Myers begins the job.
Myers has also served as city manager in Casa Grande, Ariz., from 1989 to 1994 and in Converse, Texas, from 1981 to 1989.
He has a master’s degree in public administration from Texas Christian University and a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Texas at Arlington.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
