Erie officials have narrowed in on three finalists in the process to hire a new town manager.
A Thursday announcement from the town introduced Corby Alexander, the current city manager in La Porte, Texas; Kelli Johnson, the current deputy city manager in Greeley; and Kathleen Osher, the current deputy city manager in Littleton.
In Erie, the town manager serves as the chief administrative officer, responsible for executive oversight for town operations, departments and personnel. The manager is to be appointed by a majority vote of the Town Council members.
From about 5 to 8 p.m. Sept. 29, the Town Council is set to hold interviews with Alexander, Johnson and Osher during a public meeting at the Town Hall.
The three finalists can also participate in a public meet and greet event from 6 to 8 p.m. Sept. 28 at the Erie Community Center. There, candidates will give brief introductions about themselves before joining “small group chats with residents,” the town announcement says.
“The Town Council will consider feedback from the public, Town staff as a whole, the Town’s Leadership Team, and from their own interviews with the finalists to make their decision,” the announcement adds.
The town opened the application process for the town manager spot in August and collected 60 applications from in and out of state. An initial review committee — comprised of town management staff, human resources staff, and Councilmember Emily Baer and Mayor Pro Tem Brandon Bell — worked with consulting firm Raftelis to bring the candidate pool down to six semi-finalists.
That finalist group completed virtual interviews with the review committee and was further narrowed to three finalists, according to the town’s announcement.
The search for a new town manager comes after the Erie Town Council, in a divided February vote, decided to fire Malcolm Fleming, who had held the position since 2019.
The 4-3 vote to terminate Fleming’s contract followed a heated debate among council members after Mayor Andrew Moore earlier that month said he had “concluded that it is time for a change at the top,” and asked the council to consider dismissing Fleming from the role.
Moore last week announced he will resign from the mayoral seat in November, citing demands of his professional career, family commitments and a recent health challenge.
Under the rules of the town’s charter, the mayor pro tem fills Moore’s role until the next regular mayoral election — in this case, November 2028.
Bell in a Facebook post last week said he is “prepared to take on the responsibility.”
“As (Moore) and I discussed this transition, our priority was ensuring that candidates for the Town Manager position understood that the Town remains stable and well‑led,” Bell added.
According to an online job listing, the expected hiring range for Erie’s town manager position is $250,000 to $300,000.