Council to interview manager candidates at Grandover

Pat Kimbrough, The High Point Enterprise, N.C.
·2 min read

Apr. 13—HIGH POINT — The City Council plans to have its first face-to-face encounters with city manager job candidates at a special meeting Friday.

Council members Wesley Hudson and Victor Jones both said the purpose is to interview prospects for the top position. The meeting, which will be a closed session for personnel issues, is scheduled for 8 a.m. at the Grandover Resort & Conference Center in Greensboro.

"This is our first set of interviews," Hudson said.

The council last month narrowed the field from more than 40 applicants to a pool of semifinalists.

Hudson and Jones said they were not sure how many candidates were coming for interviews Friday, but the overall search process has not yet reached the finalist stage.

"I know we're down to a few candidates," Jones said.

The consultant leading the search, Ellis Hankins, has presented the council a timeline for more in-depth, follow-up interviews at a later date, Hudson said.

"I'm sure that there will still be discussion among council, and most likely another interview with finalists," he said.

The city has been without a permanent manager since May 2020, when Greg Demko resigned. The council appointed then-deputy manager Randy McCaslin to serve as interim manager. He plans to stay in that role, help the new manager transition into the job and then retire.

Jones said there are particular issues that he plans to ask candidates about during Friday's interviews.

"My questions are going to be focused on economic development and making sure our city is business-friendly," he said, referring to the city approval process for construction permits and other aspects of development.

Hudson said Hankins is still involved in the search process.

"He is handling all the initial screenings and presented a slate of preliminary candidates," he said. "I am extremely happy with the candidates we've been presented. There is a very talented field, both local and state, and some out-of-state. I couldn't be happier with the choices we have. They're all very qualified. I have great confidence that we'll find a great city manager."

pkimbrough@hpenews.com — 336-888-3531

pkimbrough@hpenews.com — 336-888-3531