City inches toward filling three vacancies

Keeping up to date on the three vacated positions in the city can get complicated as the search continues for McMinnville?s next city administrator, chief of police and urban forester.

Here?s how things are shaping up with the candidate search.

For city administrator, officials are considering a second interview for David Rutherford. This is something Rutherford suggested during his first interview.

A second interview will give Rutherford and elected officials more time to get to know one another and allow him more time to check out McMinnville. The first interview was a rushed day, going from department to department. The second interview can be more relaxed and personal.

If the two city administrator finalists are called for second interviews, Rutherford, from Springfield, Ga., will be the first, followed by David Jakubiak from Jupiter, Fla. It?s possible city officials could interview Rutherford first and not grant Jakubiak a second interview.

?I think we should eliminate one before moving on to the next,? said Alderman Rick Barnes. ?Either hire him or eliminate him.?

Three remaining candidates for the chief of police positions are being contacted and asked when they will be available for interviews. According to Mayor Royce Davenport, each has agreed to the interview process.

Currently, there are no set dates for the interviews of Audie Holloway, Charlie Sewell and Carl Watkins, but the cost for the interviews could exceed the cost for the city administrator interviews. There were two city administrator interviews costing $1,615, but there are three for chief of police with Holloway living in Alaska, Sewell living in Georgia and Watkins living in Michigan.

After receiving 23 applicants for the urban forester position, Mayor Royce Davenport and Alderman Jimmy Haley narrowed the stack down to nine which they have presented to the Building and Grounds Committee. The first meeting of the committee to narrow the search down to five or less will be today at 5 p.m. at McMinnville City Hall.