Council Prepares For Head Hunt

At a meeting with Casper City Council this week, outgoing City Manager, Tom Forslund, indicated the market may be tight when it comes to finding someone with the executive experience needed to replace him.

Forslund will be leaving his post on March 11th. Assistant City Manager, Linda Witko,  on March 12th will step in as interim City Manager during the recruitment process.

Casper Mayor, Paul Bertoglio, says tight housing market conditions across the country could effect the size of the recruitment pool.

"In looking across the country a lot of the city managers and administrators are in communities where potentially the house they've purchased is underwater, so to speak, and because of that the ability to actually get a manager that may have the skill set we want- they may not apply because of individual financial concerns."

Bertoglio says he expects they'll keep the search fairly open, as to job qualifications, knowing that Casper's City Manager juggles a unique array of responsibilities.

"We have multi faceted assets from Hogadon, the Event Center,  a lot of things that a lot of city administrators or managers have never had to deal with."

Council voted on Tuesday in favor of hiring an outside executive recruitment firm, at an estimated cost of around $20,000, to do the search. They were also advised that keeping the process confidential would likely ensure a greater pool of candidates. Bertoglio indicated they hope to have the process completed within six months.