Smith And Stoever Are Named As Finalists For City Manager’s Post

By Tammy Gray-Searles
   Timothy C. Smith of Harwich, Mass., and Larry D. Stoever of Saline, Mich., are the two finalists se-lected by the Holbrook City Council for the position of city manager.
   Following an executive session held Tuesday evening, the council asked City Clerk Cher Millage to contact Smith and Stoever to arrange in-person interviews. The council’s preferred date for meeting with the candidates is March 15, but Millage was asked to make alternate arrangements if they are not available on that date.
   Smith is a former city manager for Wellfleet, Mass., and Calais, Maine. He served in Wellfleet from November 2000 to July 2007, and in Calais from 1997 to 2000. According to his resume, Wellfleet has a year-round population of 3,000, a seasonal population of 20,000 and a $14.7 million budget; and Calais had a population of 5,000 during his tenure.
   In his resume, Smith notes that he was responsible for securing more than $5.5 million in grants for Wellfleet and nearly $1 million in grants for Calais.
   Prior to his career as a city manager, Smith was a commanding officer with the U.S. Navy at the Naval Center in Bangor, Maine. He retired from the military after serving four years in the Army and 17 years in the Navy.
   Smith graduated from Northern Arizona University (NAU) in 1979 with a Bachelor of Science degree. He obtained a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Maine in May 1997.
   Stoever is a former city manager for Saline, Mich., and Greenville, Ill. He served in Saline from June 1998 to October 2007, and in Greenville from April 1985 to May 1998. According to his resume, Saline has a population of 9,000 and an annual budget of $23.1 million, including capital improvement projects, and Greenville had a population of 6,500 during his time there.
   In his resume, Stoever points out that Saline was ranked the 59th best place to live by CNN Money Magazine in 2007, and that during his tenure he worked projects such as construction of a new city hall, public works facility and water treatment plant, as well as improvements to the wastewater treatment plant and the city’s indoor recreation complex.
   Prior to his career as a city manager, Stoever served as acting president for the Peoria Economic Devel-opment Association in Peoria, Ill., city planner for the City of Charleston, Ill., planning director for the City of East St. Louis, Ill., and assistant planning director for the City of Rock Island, Ill. He also served in the U.S. Air Force from 1962 to 1966.
   Stoever graduated from Southern Illinois University in 1968 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in geogra-phy with a concentration on urban planning. He obtained a Master of Science degree in urban and regional planning in 1974 from Southern Illinois University, and a Master of Business Administration degree from Eastern Illinois University in 1980.
   The two candidates were selected from a field of 18 who submitted applications. The council previously indicated that they would like to have a new manager hired by early April.
   In other action Feb. 26, the council:
   * Heard an update on the Wi-Fi project proposed by Omera Incorporated.
   Interim City Manager Fern Larson told the council that she had made several attempts to contact the company with no success. She noted that Omera has not met the conditions of its agreement with the city and since she has not heard back from them, she intends to turn the agreement over to the city attorney to determine whether it is still valid.
   Larson also noted that she contacted the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and they had no record of Om-era anywhere in the Dallas, Texas, area.
   * Heard a brief update on the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) project on First Avenue.
   Larson explained that the pre-bid conference has been held, four contractors took out packets and a fifth has expressed interest. She noted that the bids will be opened on Monday, March 17, and brought to the council on Tuesday, March 25.
   According to Larson, the project is back on schedule and should be completed before the grant dead-line.
   * Ratified the appointment of Merrill Young as fire chief for 2008.
   * Recommended approval of a liquor license application by Jonathon and Carol States for the Plains-man Restaurant, located at 1001 W. Hopi Drive.
   * Approved hiring Greg Perkins to run the Holbrook Men’s Basketball League and asked city staff members to investigate insurance needs for the league.
   * In a 4-3 vote, approved out of state travel for Chief of Police DWayne Hartup to attend a conference on planning, funding and obtaining new public safety facilities in Orlando, Fla., at a cost of $1,635.
   Councilman Kent Darris expressed his concern that the training would be wasted if Hartup takes an-other job. He noted that he, along with many other residents, saw news reports that Hartup was a finalist for a job in Delta, Colo.
   Following a lengthy discussion in which Hartup assured the council that he would return with complete information, and disseminate it to the council and other city staff members promptly, the council approved the travel. Mayor Jeff Hill, and Councilmen Charles Haussman, Wade Carlisle and Phil Cobb voted in fa-vor of the request, while Vice Mayor Cynthia Stuart, and Councilmen Darris and Stuart Szink voted against it.
   * Approved out of state travel for two firemen to attend arson and fire investigation training in Las Ve-gas, Nev., at a cost of $590 for the seminar registration.
   * Heard from local businessman Jim Gray during petitions from the public.
   Gray asked the council why Pacific Holt was able to use city funds for private projects, and requested an explanation of why Ronaele LLC was able to purchase city property for less than its value when the firm never built a medical center.
   He noted that the council has been called anti-growth by the Holbrook Back on Track (BOT) group, but he believes that the council is for positive growth.
   Gray also questioned why developers such as Brad Heward and Pacific Holt are waiting for city assis-tance to begin their projects.
   “Brad Heward says he needs housing and Pacific Holt say they build houses, so why don’t they just go build houses? Sounds simple to me. I and many others have built projects or developed a piece of land and we didn’t expect the city to do the work for us,” he said. “I went ahead and built without trying to get the city to pay for my infrastructure. I guess what I’m saying is, either build something or leave the council alone.”
   The next regular council meeting is scheduled at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 11, at city hall.
   Council members will hold an informal get-together this evening (Feb. 29) at P&M Lanes. They will be bowling, eating and spending time together without conducting city business as part of a suggestion made by consultant Lance Decker to improve council relations. The public is invited to attend the no-host event.