Top city job draws plenty of interest this time

The city of Ely has no shortage of candidates for its top administrative position.Applications for the vacant and recently renamed city clerk-treasurer/administrator position closed Monday with 21 candidates showing interest.That’s four more than applied the last time around, when the council opted against hiring either of two finalists who interviewed for the job and went back to the drawing board, and 12 more than an initial posting during the winter.“I think the timing is better,” said Patti Wellvang, Ely’s longtime deputy clerk. “I think the title of administrator made it more appealing and I think the spring is a better time to do a search. People with families may be looking more to make a move at this time of the year,” said Wellvang.A Twin Cities consultant will review the applications and rank the candidates based on their education, experience, and skills as they relate to the job description.“We asked for a quick turnaround,” said Wellvang. “We hope to release the names and call for interviews by mid-June if we can. If we need to we can always call a special (council) meeting.”Whoever eventually winds up with the job will serve as the city’s chief executive officer, overseeing and developing the city’s $3 million-plus annual budget, administering various city projects as well as elections.They’ll also oversee city department heads and have the title of city administrator, thanks to changes in the job description approved by the council earlier this year.Council members said they wanted to establish a clear chain of command at City Hall, and place the administrator as a go-between between them and the other department heads.The city has been without a full-time administrator since November, when John Tourville resigned to take a similar position in Virginia.The city has advertised a salary of approximately $58,272 plus a full benefit package, with both six-month and one-year performance evaluations. A successful one-year evaluation will trigger a salary increase to $61,797.In the meantime, Wellvang and city accountant Bob Hedloff are getting help at City Hall from Ely Butler, who was hired earlier this month to serve as a temporary project manager.Other applicants for the temporary project manager included council member Dan Przybylski and former EUC clerk Emil Bjorkman.“We’ve got so many projects going on now in the city, with the airport, the joint public works garage and the Community Center renovation,” said Wellvang. “We’ve got a huge list of things that are open. There are a lot of meetings.”Butler will serve as the point person for the city - he was hired at a rate of $28 per hour - until an administrator is hired.