A dynamic, experienced municipal professional is being sought to serve as the next city manager for the City of Newark. Following the departure of former city manager Carol Houck in May 2017, Public Works and Water Resources director Tom Coleman has served as acting city manager pending the appointment of her successor. After requesting input from residents and working closely with City Council and staff, GovHR USA, a firm hired by Council to conduct the employment search, posted a job description and City profile to solicit applications earlier this year. The nationwide search netted dozens of candidates, with City Council voting after executive session on June 11 to extend interviews to four finalists.

Below is the remaining recruitment schedule, with public engagement opportunities noted in bold:

• July 11 at 6:00 p.m. - City Council special meeting for first-round City Manager interviews (agenda posted here)
• July 12 at 5:00 p.m. - City Council special meeting for first-round City Manager interviews; Council may vote on items related to the City Manager search after the conclusion of the executive session (agenda posted here).
• July 24 (afternoon) - Case study presentation and structured interview with Department Heads; the case study presentation will be recorded and posted on the website for public viewing.
• July 24 at 6:30 p.m. - Community Meet and Greet for City Manager finalists in Council Chambers; Finalists will be asked scripted question by the consultant/designee. Finalists will be brought out one at a time to answer the questions. At the end of the session, finalists will remain so the public can ask individual questions of the candidates.
• July 25 (morning or afternoon) - Finalist individual tours of the community
• July 25 at 6:00 p.m. - City Council special meeting for finalist City Manager interviews.
• July 26 at 6:00 p.m. - City Council special meeting for Council deliberations and decision; Council may vote on items related to the City Manager search after the conclusion of the executive session

Please note: the department head event and the tours of the community are not public events. All the Council interviews and deliberations will be in executive session at this time. Any votes regarding finalists and the successful candidate will be made in public session.

 More information on the City Manager search is available online. Residents with questions can email them to AskNewark@newark.de.us.