Published: July 23, 2008 08:59 pm      

City manager finalist for Mo. job

EDMOND — Edmond City Manager Larry Stevens is one of three finalists vying to fill the same position with the City of Springfield, Mo., The Edmond Sun has learned.

Claudia Deakins, spokeswoman for the City of Edmond, said Stevens was in a meeting Wednesday afternoon and unavailable for comment. He is going out of town for a couple of days on a previously planned family vacation.

In a news release announcing the finalists, Stevens said he decided to pursue the position in Springfield because Missouri is his home state. Stevens also cited the size of Springfield.

“Like Edmond, Springfield is an award-winning city,” Stevens said. “It is about twice the size of Edmond.”

According to www.city-data.com, in 2006, Springfield had a population of 150,797. Edmond had a population of 76,644.

Currently, Stevens earns $143,238 a year, Deakins said. When Stevens became city manager in 2002, he was earning $102,000 a year.

Louise Whall, spokeswoman for the City of Springfield, said Bob Cumley, who retired as city manager in June, had a $152,000 annual salary. Cumley had held that post for two years.

Whall said the finalists would be in Springfield Aug. 3-5 for a variety of search-related events. They include a public welcome reception and a series of closed-door sessions with the Springfield City Council.

An announcement of the new Springfield city manager is expected during the week of Aug. 11, Whall said. Springfield officials wanted the process to be open and the finalists were told their candidacies would be made public, Whall said.

Wayne Page, Ward 1 Edmond City Council member, said Stevens told him about the development Wednesday. Page said he thinks Stevens has been an effective city manager and would be a sought-after candidate however this situation turns out.

“We’ll just have to wait and see what happens,” Page said.

If Stevens were to get the Springfield job, the Edmond City Council would call an executive session to discuss replacing him, which likely would include hiring a firm to conduct a candidate search, Page said.

According to the news release posted on the City of Springfield Web site, the three finalists were selected from a group of eight presented by the search firm Arcus Public during a meeting Monday evening that lasted more than four hours.

Besides Stevens, the finalists for the Springfield city manager post are Kent Myers, city manager in Hot Springs, Ark., and Greg Burris, vice president for administration and information services and chief information officer at Missouri State University.