Erie officials on Friday announced that the Town Council has negotiated an employment contract with Kelli Johnson to become town manager.
Kelli Johnson (Town of Erie / Courtesy photo)
The Town Council will consider her employment contract at a special meeting on Tuesday, a town announcement says.
Currently the deputy city manager in Greeley, Johnson was selected following a recruitment process that drew more than 50 applicants. If the contract is approved on Tuesday, she could take the town manager spot on Jan. 4.
Johnson was one of three finalists to become Erie’s next town manager. The Town Council during a Sept. 29 meeting interviewed her; Corby Alexander, the current city manager in La Porte, Texas; and Kathleen Osher, the current deputy city manager in Littleton.
“I’m pleased to support Kelli’s selection for this crucial role in Erie,” Mayor Andrew Moore said in a Friday statement. “Council and I were impressed by her skills and passion, and I look forward to seeing her lead Erie and become part of this community.”
Johnson previously served as Greeley’s director of communication and engagement, and later as the city’s chief of staff. Before that, she was the public information manager for the High Plains Library District, when she helped open a branch in Erie in 2008.
Johnson holds a master of science in organizational leadership from Regis University and a bachelor of arts in journalism/public relations from the University of Northern Colorado. She is also a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School Senior Executives in State and Local Government program and the University of Virginia Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service LEAD program.
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.
Under Erie’s charter, the Town Council directly supervises only four positions: the town manager, town attorney, prosecutor and municipal court judge.
The search for a new town manager began after the council, in a divided February vote, decided to fire Malcolm Fleming, who had held the position since 2019. Council members later in February selected Meredyth Muth, director of administrative services and operations, to serve as the interim town manager.