by Karen Mead-Elford, co-editor
The Owosso City Council held a Special Meeting in city chambers on Wednesday, Nov. 15 to discuss the process of hiring a new city manager. In August, Don Crawford, the current city manager, announced his plans for retirement in February 2018. Crawford had formally stepped into the position in August 2010. He previously shared that he has been considering retirement for about two years.
Through September and October, the city council accepted resumes from potential candidates, initiating the process for finding a new city manager. Two-dozen candidates acknowledged an interest in the position, so council then had to narrow down the field to individuals who seemingly might have the most potential.
During the Wednesday evening meeting, the council decided on four possible candidates they were interested in interviewing. Due to confidentiality restrictions under state employment guidelines, the names can’t be released quite yet. However, it is known that one of the candidates already has a direct internal connection as an employee with the city of Owosso.
During the meeting it was decided that the city would host a “meet and greet” event for all of the candidates for 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 5 at a currently undisclosed location. The idea behind the “meet and greet” would be to allow council, staff, business owners and assorted community members the opportunity to get to know the candidates a little. The actual interviewing process is planned to begin at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 6.
All city employees must go through a drug screen and psychological evaluation before hiring is allowed. Director of Public Safety Kevin Lenkart also detailed an elaborate background check entailed once the candidates are narrowed down to just one or two individuals.
