Council interviews manager candidate

 The Columbia Falls City Council Wednesday voted 3-2 to offer Dennis Stark of Frederick, Colorado the city manager position. If hired, Stark would replace longtime manager Susan Nicosia, who will retire at the end of June.

Stark, 71, was offered the position contingent on the full completion of background, credit and reference checks. He was one of two finalists for the position, the other person, who was not named, withdrew.

Stark was interviewed by council in an open session on Wednesday, April 17. Stark said he toured the city and was impressed by the beauty of the area and the quality of life here, but also expressed concern after the interview about finding housing here.

The city, he said, has waived the requirement that he live inside the city limits.

He said as a manager he emphasizes teamwork and getting to know people.

“I feel like I’m part of the group from day one. I go out and immerse myself in the community and get to know everybody,” he said. “The challenge would be to keep everyone together and move forward.”

When asked about easing the tax burden on citizens, he said a first priority would be to streamline services and make things more user-friendly. Also there may be ways to pass on fees to builders. But the main strategy would be to help businesses grow and prosper.

He also said he would pursue grant opportunities, where possible.

When asked about an “anti-growth sentiment” outside the city limits, Stark said you address it by “pros and cons” and the balancing it to the benefits of the region and other people.

There will always be a faction of citizens who are anti-growth and don’t want to see change, he noted.

He said you can try to negotiate what your vision is with theirs, but ultimately you have to do what’s right for the city.

As a manager, he said he uses a time management system and tries to balance his priorities while leaving room for “things that pop up.”

He said he had an “open door policy.”

There will be challenges.

“Maybe that’s your whole day,” he said. “Putting out fires.”

Which brought a laugh from council.

“We’re here for the people and they’re going to come in and not always be happy,” he said.

On budgeting, he noted one of the hardest decisions is personnel. He’s worked for municipalities in Michigan and Nevada with budgets ranging from $10 million to $85 million.

He was last the county manager of Lyon County, Nevada. He left in 2010. (See related story).

He said he was a big fan of cross-training.

He said he considered managing department heads as being a team.

“We all work together and try to achieve the same goals,” he said.

When asked where he saw himself in five years, he said he expects to be here in Columbia Falls.

“I don’t see any need to move on,” he said. “I like the size of the organization and the city.”

Stark has been out of government management for some time, as he took time to help raise his grandchildren. They are in their teens now so he now has the time, he said.

“I have plenty of time and energy,” he told council.

On the subject of social media he said the city should use as many platforms as it can to keep the public engaged.

“You use every opportunity you can to keep the people informed,” he said.

On budgeting, he said his philosophy was to look at the standard costs in the short term, but also develop five and 10 year plans. 

“I like to go out into the community and bring the needs back to council,” he said.

He said he was impressed by the effectiveness of the city’s resort tax and how it was able to fund both equipment purchases for fire and police departments as well as personnel.

He said he hoped to foster a good working relationship with council.

“I don’t feel like I’m an employee and your my boss,” he said. He said his goal is to work together with council.