Gate City still searching for town manager after top choice declines job
GATE CITY — Gate City is continuing its search for a new town manager after a leading candidate for the position declined the town’s offer of a job.
Gate City Mayor Mark Jenkins said the Town Council was hoping to hire Ryan Spitzer — who serves as the existing town manager of Glasgow, Va. — but was informed shortly before Christmas that he decided against accepting the offer.
“I was really excited to get him, especially after looking at his accomplishments and talking to him,” Jenkins said. “He has six years experience and a double master’s degree. He serves as the town manager of Glasgow now, and we tried to match his salary there, but it didn’t work.”
Jenkins said Spitzer was also the youngest town manager in Virginia when he took the job in Glasgow.
Spitzer’s name and salary were disclosed at the council’s December meeting.
The town offered to pay Spitzer $47,500 a year plus benefits.
Gate City has been without a full-time manager since September 2011, when then Town Manager Steve Templeton submitted his resignation for personal and health reasons.
Even though Templeton resigned in the fall, he had been on medical leave since February, effectively rendering the town without a manager for the better part of 2011.
Jenkins has served as the interim town manager over that period.
“I’ll continue to be the interim until we hire another town manager,” Jenkins said.
Jenkins said the council would like to hire a new manager as soon as possible, but would still take the time to interview prior applicants.
“We’re still looking at the ones who have interviewed for the position prior. We have three candidates that we have interviewed as finalists,” Jenkins said.
“We thought we had someone before the first of the year, but when he turned us down, the whole ball game changed,” Jenkins added. “So now we’re stepping back and looking at the candidates, and hopefully we can get someone in quickly.”
Jenkins said the personnel committee will make a decision on which of the remaining candidates it will choose to appear before the full Town Council for an interview.
The names of the remaining finalists have not been made public, but Jenkins said all three were from the region and have prior experience working in the public sector.
A decision on the matter could be made at the board’s next regularly scheduled meeting on Jan. 10.
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