Soldotna has narrowed a long list of candidates down to two for its open city manager position.
Elke Doom and Janette Bower are finalists for the seat. The candidates are visiting the city for in-person meetings this week and next, and the Soldotna City Council has a tentative special meeting scheduled for Feb. 13 to continue discussions and make a motion on the decision, according to Soldotna Clerk Johni Blankenship.
Current City Manager Stephanie Queen announced late last year that she’s leaving the city after five years on the job. Queen’s term originally expired later this month but the Soldotna City Council will consider extending that contract an additional two months, through April, at its meeting Wednesday to “provide for a smooth transition” as the hiring process continues.
One of the finalists, Bower, is currently the city manager in Seward, a role she’s had since May 2021. She’s worked as a city administrator in Minnesota and has clerked in Palmer and Bethel. She has a diploma from Magic City High School in Minot, N.D. and attended Griffin Business College in Seattle, though she did not graduate, according to her resume.
She told the city council at an interview last week that she’s drawn to the vibrancy of the City of Soldotna.
“It has great energy and I’d like to be part of that energy,” Bower said. She added a strength of hers is her ability to communicate with her employees and work toward shared goals.
The other finalist, Elke Doom, was city manager of Valdez for two years, and was most recently an interim township manager for Royal Oak Township in Ferndale, Mich. She’s held other manager and township supervisor roles in Michigan, North Carolina and West Virginia. Doom holds a bachelor's degree in business management and a master’s degree in public administration from Siena Heights University in Michigan.
She told the city council in her interview that, if chosen for the position, she’ll prioritize reaching out to city employees and locals to play a visible role in the city from the get-go.
“I think the combination of the experience I have — the background, well-rounded in municipal government in so many departments, and Alaska experience — I think I would make a very, very good candidate for your community," she said.
You can watch interviews with the candidates hereand read their resumes here.
Separately, the city is considering ways to improve its recruitment and retention strategies, which current manager Queen said was one of her goals before she left office.
The city helda work session today to talk about some of those ideas, including recruitment bonuses and paid parental leave. Queen said she hopes to introduce the document by resolution at the Soldotna City Council’s March 8 meeting, according to a memo posted ahead of the work session.
