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Helena City Commission expected to select interim City Manager Monday

Helena City Commission expected to selected interim City Manger Monday
Posted at 7:10 PM, Mar 04, 2020
and last updated 2022-03-15 14:14:24-04

A new interim city manager for the City of Helena will likely be selected at the next Helena City Commission meeting on Monday Mar. 9.

The announcement came from Mayor Wilmot Collins during the City’s regularly scheduled administrative meeting on Wednesday.

“I think time is of the essence and I think it’s important we have this discussion next week,” said Commissioner Heather O'Louglin.

Commissioners Sean Logan and Emily Dean said in the meeting they would prefer to have made a decision on a potential candidate at the administrative meeting rather than waiting.

“I think we have qualified individuals that we can make a decision about now,” said Logan. “I think there is an expectation on the part of the employees and the community that we need to make this decision.”

Dean also indicated the new interim city manager needed to be someone who has a record of instilling confidence in the community.

“We need to make sure that it’s someone who’s publicly trusted, has a steady hand,” said Dean, “and I do think time is of the essence because we are pushing against a lot of deadlines. We need to move quickly.”

Mayor Collins said he felt delaying until Monday would not be too long of a wait.

Former City Manager Ana Cortez resigned from the position on February 6th.

Cortez received a $163,000 payout and a reference letter from the City as part of a mutual agreement.

In January she had been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation into a complaint filed against her.