CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WV News) — Clarksburg City Council is expected to meet in the coming days to determine who will lead city staff after the interim city manager returns to his position as police chief later this month. Council has yet to find a permanent replacement for the position, according to the mayor.
Marino
The city has posted the city manager position twice, and council members have interviewed multiple candidates, but Mayor James Marino said it is unlikely the position will be permanently filled by the end of the year.
“At this time, we haven’t decided on a candidate,” he said.
The position has been filled by Police Chief Mark Kiddy since the departure of former City Manager Harry Faulk in April. Marino and council members have touted the performance of Kiddy as interim city manager, but Kiddy has made it clear he is not interested in a permanent appointment to the city manager position.
Interim Police Chief Randy Hartley will retire Dec. 15, and Kiddy has said he would like to be back in his position as police chief by that time.
Kiddy “has done a really good job for us holding down the fort, though naturally he wants to go back and do what he does best, which is being the police chief,” Marino said. “We’re going to make that happen for him here real soon.”
Marino said he hopes to get other council members’ opinions on how the city should proceed at this time in a meeting or work session, but there is “no name and no candidate at this point.” He expects the meeting to happen during the week beginning Dec. 11.
The search for city manager will then continue.
“We’re being diligent about it. We’ve put it out twice now doing a nationwide search, and we just haven’t gotten the proper candidate. We just haven’t gotten that one yet,” the Marino said.
He said the council will not settle for the wrong person.
“There were a lot of qualified candidates, but the best and right fit for the city is what I always strive for. I’m not going to reduce my standards at this point in time. It’s trying to get the best fit that we can and we’ll just keep looking,” he said.
Marino said he believes timing is key, and it may not have been the right timing for someone to apply when the council previously posted the position. He feels confident the council will be able to install another person to “steer the ship” until the position is permanently filled.
“I’m confident we’ll do that by Dec. 15,” he said.
In the meantime, Marino said a lot of progress has been made in the city in the last two years, particularly in public safety. He would like to see progress maintained, and then built upon.
He encouraged people to visit downtown Clarksburg for WinterFest this weekend to see the city’s progress.
Senior staff Writer JoAnn Snoderly can be reached at 304-626-1445, by email at jsnoderly@theet.com or on Twitter at @JoAnnSnoderly.
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