PORT ANGELES — City Manager Kent Myers said earlier this week that he is seeking a job as the head of Columbia, Mo., to be closer to family.
“That’s the driving force,” he said Tuesday as the City Council met behind closed doors to discuss the situation.
Myers, who has family in Texas and Arkansas, is one of four finalists for the city manager job in Columbia. Until Tuesday, he had declined to comment about the job opportunity.
Candidates will be in Columbia on Friday, Saturday and Sunday to meet city leaders and be interviewed by the City Council.
A decision could be made within a week, a newspaper there reported.
Myers is scheduled to be out of the office for the interview and related appointments today and Friday, said city spokeswoman Teresa Pierce. He will return Monday.
The council met in executive session for 10 minutes to discuss personnel matters and legal issues related to Myers’ job search.
No decisions were made in public session afterward, and Mayor Dan Di Guilio said the purpose of the closed-door meeting was to talk to the city’s attorney about “some of the different things that could occur if Kent leaves.”
Asked if there could be any legal issues between Myers and the city if he is hired by Columbia, Di Guilio said, “I’m not aware of any at this point.”
If he doesn’t get the job, Myers said, “I’d be happy to stay [in Port Angeles] for a certain period of time.”
He declined to elaborate on what that meant and if he plans to leave by a certain date whether or not he gets another job.
“I don’t want to speculate on future plans,” Myers said.
Myers has been Port Angeles’ city manager since December 2008.
He said he has no issues with city staff or the City Council.
“It’s been a great experience up here,” Myers said.
Myers applied for the city manager job in Corpus Christi, Texas, in December. He announced in January he was no longer in the running for that job.
Myers said he applied for the job in Columbia about two weeks ago.
Former Columbia City Manager Bill Watkins, who retired last week, received $150,000 per year plus car allowance and retirement benefits. The city has a population of 108,500.
Myers’ salary is $157,590 in Port Angeles, which has a population of 19,038.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
