26 have applied to be Fairfield’s new city manager: Where the search stands

Fairfield City Council met Monday evening with the search firm assisting the city to find its next city manager.

Management Partners Inc. has conducted an executive search to seek the successor to Mark Wendling, who resigned on Dec. 11. There are 26 applicants for the city’s top executive job, said Councilman Dale Paullus, who’s leading the search process.

The number of applicants is what was expected, he said.

“From the beginning, they told us we would get 25 to 30 applicants,” Paullus said. “It fell right in line with what they were telling us.”

Paullus couldn’t specify any more until after City Council meets with the consultant on Monday, including a timeline as to when interviews could take place, or when a city manager could be hired.

Fairfield has been without a full-time city manager since Wendling’s resignation. Fairfield Fire Chief Don Bennett has been filling in as acting city manager, as well as maintaining his fire chief responsibilities, since mid-December.

Credit: Nick Graham

Credit: Nick Graham

Several agencies bid to be the search firm to aid Fairfield in its city manager search. A divided council chose in April to hire one of the search firms instead of first interviewing an internal candidate. That candidate, former assistant city manager Scott Timmer, was later hired in July to be the assistant Butler County administrator.

Council hired Management Partners Inc. in May to conduct a regional search at the cost of $24,500, plus costs. Management Partners expressed early interest in the opportunity as it was one of two firms that sent an unsolicited request within days of Wendling’s resignation.

Wendling and city officials didn’t comment on his resignation, though the former city manager said his decision to resign had “been brewing for a while” and “it’s just the right time.”

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