Back to square one

Mike Cast, Leader Staff

POLSON - The search for Polson City Manager will continue during a special meeting of the Polson City Council on Monday at 5:30 pm when the search committee will recommend up to five candidates for the position, according to committee member Lois Hart. The next step will be to conduct interviews and host an open house on Nov. 14.

The committee was forced to revisit the original list of 27 applicants after Paul Poczobut Jr. backed out. The list has been narrowed to eight, said Polson City Clerk Aggi Loeser.

Paul Poczobut Jr. had verbally agreed to serve as city manager but instead accepted another position in Arizona. The committee was unaware Poczobut Jr. was seeking the other position, as was Polson Mayor Lou Marchello, who felt Poczobut Jr. had been dishonest. The other finalist was Larry Stoever, who accepted another position in Michigan after he was told Poczobut Jr. was being offered the position. Stoever was offered the position but turned it down as a matter of principal, Marchello said.

According to a search committee press release, Marchello has confidence in the search committee.

"We're lucky that so many qualified people are interested in the position. It's too bad it didn't work out in the first place, but that's just business and I'm sure the search committee will do another fine job," Marchello said.

Jeff Smith, a member of the search committee, said These applicants are all highly qualified; it was difficult to choose among them in the original recommendations," he said, " but we'll sharpen our pencils and find the city a good chief executive."

Loeser said that she believes the new list of candidates is promising.

"They are all really good," she said.

Marchello said that the committee and board will avoid making the same mistake as before. This time they will not turn down finalists until they have a written agreement with the new city manager.

Marchello says he hopes for a new city manager to be on board by Jan. 1.