Seldovia is beginning its hunt for a new city manager. Current manager Tod Larson accepted the city manager position in Dillingham earlier this month.
Larson came on board in Seldovia little over a year ago. Prior to that, he managed a 106-bed jail in Wyoming and served 25 years in the military. Larson says he wasn’t looking for a new position when he heard about the Dillingham job, but thought it would be a good opportunity after a friend emailed him the listing.
During his time in Seldovia, he helped the city finish building a new water plant. Larson says there are a number of other projects he started, such as cleaning up Jakolof Bay and upgrading Red Mountain road, a popular access point to the wilderness around the city. But, Larson says he won’t be able to see everything through.
“There’s a lot of things I wanted to get accomplished. I’m going to particularly miss the people. I really enjoy the citizens here. There’s a lot of great folks that live in Seldovia,” he said.
Larson’s last day will be Oct. 25. He says his main focus until then will be finding an interim manager to help the city government transition.
“Well, biggest thing is I’m trying to make sure the transition goes smoothly. So, I’m gathering a lot of data to pass off. We’re going to have an interim city manager that will carry over until a new city manager is hired,” he said.
Larson expects to have an interim manager selected before he leaves. The Seldovia position has been posted online for about two weeks and four candidates have applied so far. Larson adds the Seldovia City Council has not set a deadline for filling the position.
“Well, it’s kind of open ended. We’re going to have a first review of applicants in mid-October to see if there are enough candidates to bring to actually interview and then they’re going to see from that point,” he explained.
Larson says he’s excited to take over in Dillingham. According to the local public radio station, KDLG, Larson will make $110,000 per year. He also received a $10,000 signing bonus to help with moving costs and a $2,500 housing stipend. He’s expected to begin work on Nov. 8.
