The two finalists vying to become next the city administrator for Charles City were in town Friday (09.26) and Saturday (09.27) as the hiring process entered the in-person interview stage.
The City received 14 applications in their recruitment efforts to find a successor to former City Administrator Steve Diers, who announced in May he would depart after over 11 years to take the same position with the City of Clear Lake. After Diers finished in June, the City hired former Spencer city administrator Dan Gifford to work for the City on an interim basis. Gifford, who came out of retirement, said he is not interested in the position full-time.
The candidate pool was whittled down to two, including Charles Adam Ledford, currently the city manager in Norris, Tennessee. He also served as city administrator in Sac City, Iowa, from 2008 to 2016.
The other finalist, Tyler Trout, is currently the city administrator in Avoca, Iowa, and is a 2014 graduate of Mason City High School and his dad, Brent Trout, was city administrator for the City of Mason City from 2007 to 2017.
An invitation-only reception for the two finalists was held at the Charles City Arts Center Friday, with Trout and Ledford then interviewed by three groups including city officials and staff, along with about 10 community members Saturday morning before the City Council went into closed session to review the interviews.
Mayor Dean Andrews says the City did make an offer to their preferred candidate. However, officials will wait until the City has a signed contract before the name is released and then have a special meeting to approve the hire.
That meeting has now been set for 6 pm Tuesday (09.30) night.
The City hopes to have the new city administrator start in November.
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