Applicants face City Council

McCook City Council members grilled three city manager applicants Tuesday night, questioning their experience, knowledge of McCook and commitment to the position.

Darrel Steven Carlyle of West Des Moines, Iowa, served as the city administrator for Bondurant, Iowa, a suburb of Des Moines, from 1999 to 2006. Prior to that, he was City Clerk/Treasurer at Lake Mills, Iowa.

Divorced with a grown daughter, Carlyle said he sees himself as an "orchestra director" when it came to his city manager skills.

Carlyle said in his former position he administrated various capital outlay projects, such as sewer and street improvements and bridge replacement, and developed and administrated the city budget.

A strong believer in council committees, he said a finance committee could be a possible option, as a variety of committees would offer the council a "first hand snapshot" of the city, he said.

It is crucial to work hand-in hand with the chamber and the local economic development agency to promote business, he said, experience he gained as a liaison between the city and various boards and commissions

"There is a need to to promote economic development, and a need to promote good economic development," he said.

Carlyle said in his previous position he met with department heads regularly to go over the budget, and has extensive experience in his career in writing grants.

Raised in Bellevue, Neb., the city manger position in McCook would allow him to return to his home state, and to capitalize on the opportunities he's seen here, such as infrastructure and undeveloped land in the area.

A 60-hour workweek is not uncommon for him, he said, as he "pours himself into his work," but added that shopping for antiques and golf were some of his hobbies.

Goals he would like to see the city pursue would be to concentrate on industrial and community recruitment, and to conduct a law enforcement study .

"I'm a firm believer in in collaboration with other agencies," he said.

Personal priorities included his relationship with God and how he could continue to improve himself.

Carlye said he would stay with McCook "as long as I can be an asset."

Citing budgeting and personnel skills as strengths he could bring to the city, Edward E. Williams of Hutchinson, Kan. served as the first County Administrator at Reno County, Kan. from 1999 to 2005. Responsible for a $40 million annual budget, he met regularly with department heads and coordinated activities with local agencies, developers and the public.

His immediate goals in McCook would be to get to know the community and to expand the financial planning policy.

Economic development starts with industry, he stated, and cited the 20/20 vision plan at Hutchinson that helped local businesses with incentive packages. One of the results of this plan was the recruitment of a major accounting firm to the county which was combined with local companies.

"You don't over budget anything," he said in reference to his method of financing. Department heads would review the budget process with him, he said, as well as the revenue proceeds.

As a city manager, he would take total responsibility for his actions, he said, yet let department heads be accountable for their part..

An advocate of utilizing more technology, Williams envisions city council packets being sent by e-mail. He would also bring his laptop to council meetings, he said, so he could readily access spread sheets and other information.

Remarried with four grandchildren, Williams said his hobbies include watching high school sports and taking trips in his motor home.

"I have no desire to go higher than city leadership," he said, and added that "after this, I'll be ready to retire."

A Michigan native, Eric A. Strahl's prior position was as City Manager of Hopkinton, R.I. from 2003-2004. Strahl said he has 26 years experience as a city administrator in several communities, which ranged in size from 2,500 to 28,000.

Strahl said he would bring to McCook his years of city management experience as well as his strong analytical skills.

His experience in economic development projects included the expansion of an industrial park, which cost $2.2 million and took three and half years to complete, he said.

He also worked with downtown development projects in making improvements and attracting businesses, which included renovating structures for new businesses using tax increment financing.

In his walk through the McCook downtown district, Strahl noted the number of old buildings and said that many communities use this to their advantage, by using "the sense of the past" to draw business.

Strahl also said he has experience with grants, mainly in the infrastructure such as water and sewer, but also in in the recreation area, and is familiar with the State Revolving Loan funds.

He believes the city council has three primary functions, which are to establish policies, set the general tone of how staff should interact with the public, and to be the eyes and ears of the public.

Beyond the administrative role, Strahl sees the city manager as serving as a spokesman to the community, as a link to federal and state agencies, to make recommendations on certain issues, and to supply innovative ideas.

"I like to get people involved in decision making," he said, and would put the budget together with as much input as possible from the city staff.

In response to a question from Becky Kilpatrick, Strahl said he felt his biggest success was the commercial expansion of the industrial park project. Making unpopular decisions and turmoil within city departments caused the greatest "heartburn", he said.

Top priorities for Strahl included his family and accomplishing goals. In his free time he enjoys home improvement, gardening and reading.

With twin ten-year old sons, Strahl said he and his wife would be "looking at eight years at least" with McCook.

Council members moved into a closed Executive Session after the interviews, and have scheduled another Executive session Friday at noon for a continued discussion of personnel.