KEYSTONE HEIGHTS – The city council evaluated 13 applications on Dec. 20 for the soon-to-be-open City Manager job. Lynn Rutkowski submitted her letter of resignation in November, but she agreed to continue to serve until Jan. 10 to ensure a smooth transition for the city.

“I’m proud that we received 13 applicants,” said Mayor Nina Rodenroth. “We need to find the right person, right now, for our town,” she said.

“I spent two days (reviewing the applicants),” said Councilmember Christine Thompson.

The job description calls for “high level administrative, technical and professional work in directing and supervising the administration of City government,” according to an online listing.

The salary ranges from $65,000 to $90,000.

City Council began the session by crossing some names off the list. The council was concerned about one applicant who had managerial experience but was fired for harassment. Other applications were discarded for lacking the right experience or background. One application was disregarded because of a cover letter:

“He mentioned ‘Mayor Lake’ (instead of Mayor Rodenroth) in his cover letter. He is out of touch with our community,” said Councilmember Dan Lewandowski.

However, most of the applications were well received. City Council made the tough decision not to consider otherwise qualified candidates, preferring instead those who could transition into the role quickly and hit the ground running. Rodenroth reaffirmed the importance of “finding the right person right now.”

Ultimately, three candidates from the applicant pool of 13 were invited for interviews: Elmon Lee Garner, Jeff Shoobrige, and Charles Van Zant Jr.

Garner brings a background in city management and an ICMA certification to the table. He served as city manager in Chattahoochee, Palatka and Sneads.

Shoobridge served as city manager of Madison Lake, Minnesota, and Redington Shores.

Van Zant was the former Superintendent of Clay County schools. He served as superintendent from 2014 to 2017 but was defeated in subsequent reelections by Addison Davis and again by David Broskie.

All three candidates have military experience.

“We were spoiled to have (Lynn Rutkowski as City Manager). She’s literally been out in the storm helping out. It is going to be hard to find someone willing to do that,” said Councilmember Tony Brown.

The city council will interview the three candidates on Jan. 3, which is open to the public.