March 18, 2024

City administrator search narrowed to four

Interviews in Newton start Friday

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The field has been narrowed down to four in the search for a new city administrator for the city of Newton.

Joseph Gaa, Matthew Muckler, Issac Holland and David Nord have been selected from a pool of 15 by the city council along with the mayor and the interview process is underway beginning Friday morning.

Two of the four finalists are from Iowa with Gaa residing in Chariton and Muckler from West Branch. Holland currently lives in Chillicothe, Mo. and David W. Nord is from Dixon, Ill.

All four candidates currently serve as city administrators in their respective cities.

A total of 37 applications from 16 states were received for the position during a two month search beginning in October. GovHR USA, the search firm hired by the city to assist during the hiring process, then narrowed the field to 15 candidates it felt best fit the needs the city provided for guidance.

Following a detailed review of backgrounds and proper due diligence by GovHR, the 15 candidates were brought before city council and the mayor for review and selection.

The candidates will interview in a round-robin style with four different panels Friday morning. The panels consist of representatives from the Newton Development Corporation, Newton Housing Development Corporation, the Newton Chamber of Commerce, Newton Main Street, city directors and board chairs, the mayor and city council and employee representatives.

After the interviews have concluded, the candidates will take a lunch break before participating in a community orientation tour. Also during that time, the city council will receive feedback from the panels, deliberate and select finalists from the pool to potentially take part in a second interview on Saturday.

The city administrator position was made available in October when Bob Knabel stepped down from the position to retire. Newton Fire Chief Jarrod Wellik has been serving as the interim in the position since that time.

Contact Jamee A. Pierson at 641-792-3121 ext. 6534 or jpierson@newtondailynews.com