Semifinalists to be interviewed for Willmar, Minn., utility GM position

WILLMAR -- Interviews will be held Wednesday with semifinalists for the Willmar Municipal Utilities general manager position.

After they have met with each of the candidates, members of the Utilities Commission plan to winnow the field to two or three finalists.

The hope is to have a new general manager selected by mid-September, Steve Salzer, vice president of the Municipal Utilities Commission, said Monday.

"We want to move it along relatively quickly," he said.

The commission was briefed with an update Monday on the hiring process. Willmar Municipal Utilities has been without a permanent general manager since February, when former general manager Bruce Gomm was fired after a no-confidence vote by the commission.

Half a dozen semifinalists are under consideration for the post.

"We will after Wednesday hopefully have a short list," Salzer said.

Finalists will be interviewed by the full commission.

Nearly 30 applications were submitted for the position, which oversees the operation of the Willmar Municipal Utilities.

The quality of the applicants was high, said Salzer, who participated in screening the resumes to choose the semifinalists.

"I was very pleased with what I've seen," he said.