PORT ANGELES — Port Angeles City Manager Kent Myers, who has worked in his present position for slightly more than two years, has applied for the city manager position in Corpus Christi, Texas.
He said he was notified of the job in December by an employment recruiter.
Myers, a Texas native, said he receives calls every month from recruiters but decided to apply for the job because it would allow him to be closer to his family.
Most of his family, including his father, lives within three hours of the city, located on the Gulf of Mexico coast, he said.
“This is the first job I’ve applied for since I’ve been in Port Angeles,” Myers said.
He is one of 53 applicants for the job.
Myers was hired by the City Council in December 2008, bringing an end to several months of uncertainty after the resignation of Mark Madsen.
Myers came from Hot Springs, Ark., where he had been the city manager for 14 years.
He said he notified the council and city staff that he was seeking the job shortly before Christmas.
Council members, including those who hired Myers and those later elected, said they don’t criticize him for seeking another job and emphasized that they hope he stays in Port Angeles.
“I don’t want to see him go, but I understand that sometimes family goes first, and that drives your decisions,” Mayor Dan Di Guilio said.
Said council member Brooke Nelson: “I absolutely hope he stays. I think he’s a valuable asset to our city and our community as a whole.”
Deputy Mayor Don Perry said he is “hoping that we’re stuck with him for another 10 to 15 years.”
Myers declined comment on most questions related to the job application, including whether he would continue to seek work elsewhere if he isn’t hired in Corpus Christi.
“If I get into the final group . . . I’ll have some further comments,” he said.
Myers said he will be notified by the end of January whether he is a finalist for the job.
Interviews, he said, have been scheduled for February.
Corpus Christi’s retiring manager makes $172,707 a year. The city has an estimated population of 282,024.
Myers makes $157,590 a year as Port Angeles’ city manager. Port Angeles has an estimated population of 19,380.
Myers recently received a favorable job review from the City Council.
Perry said he is “certainly not” looking forward to the possibility of another city manager job selection search.
“But if that’s the way it is, that’s the way it is,” he said.
Port Angeles spent $29,736 on recruiting city manager candidates and covering the travel and lodging costs for Myers and three other finalists.
Additionally, the city reimbursed Myers $17,515 for the cost of moving to Port Angeles.
The council hired an interim manager, Jerry Osterman, in September 2008 for $12,000 a month.
Madsen, who served as city manager for three years, resigned effective that month after citing conflicts with some City Council members.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.