Johnstown's city manager search continues

May 11—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — The City of Johnstown is accepting applications for its soon-to-be-vacant city manager position through May 31.

The municipality finds itself looking for a new top administrator after current City Manager Ethan Imhoff unexpectedly gave 60 days notice in mid-April, announcing that he plans to leave and become the manager of Hollidaysburg Borough, his hometown. June 17 is scheduled to be Imhoff's last day in Johnstown.

Given the timeline, Imhoff said there is a "high likelihood" a gap could exist between when he leaves and a new full-time manager is in place, creating a possible situation in which somebody will hold the position on an interim basis.

The job was formally advertised this past week.

Requirements are a minimum of a bachelor's degree from an accredited college with a master's being "highly desirable;" major course work in public administration, business administration, economics or related field; and 10 years of progressively responsible experience in municipal government including five as a manager, assistant city manager or department head. The salary will be between $110,000 and $125,000, depending on experience and qualifications.

The advertisement also listed the planned construction of a public safety building and implementation of an almost $25 million U.S. Department of Transportation Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity grant as two "higher profile projects" that the new manager will be expected to lead.

The process is being facilitated by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. City Council will make the final decision on who to hire.

Imhoff provided an update about the search during Johnstown City Council's regular monthly meeting on Wednesday. Some potential candidates have already contacted the city. Imhoff said he feels like the search is "on a good trajectory" and that "it's a position that I would recommend to anybody in my field" during an interview a few days before the meeting.

Imhoff became city manager in January 2022 and signed another contract at the start of this year with an annual salary of $137,500.

His successor will be the 11th full-time or interim city manager since 2014.

City Councilwoman the Rev. Sylvia King credited Imhoff for his work over two-plus years, which included helping oversee development of the planned Main Street revitalization project and being involved with the city exiting Pennsylvania's Act 47 program for distressed municipalities.

"I'm going to say, personally, my opinion is I think Mr. Imhoff served us well," King said. "I think he brought stability to the council and to the city, and I don't want that to be overlooked. I am saddened that he's leaving. However, I understand and I support him because I support a person that puts their family first."

King listed about a dozen attributes she is looking for in a new city manager, including being trustworthy, energetic, creative, sociable, community-orientated, ethical, collaborative, communicative and thick-skinned, along with having experience in municipal government.

"I don't think that these are hard qualities to find in any one person," King said. "For the most part, people who try to do good by one another, people that are kind to humanity possess most of these attributes."

City Councilwoman Laura Huchel wants the next city manager to be "someone with a lot of leadership strength."

"City Hall has a good number of employees," she said. "We've got fire, and police and everybody in there. We want to make sure that we've got a capable leader who isn't afraid to set goals and expectations. I think someone with a vision for the future of Johnstown would be nice."

Huchel added: "I think someone with some passion for the community would be nice, too.

"It certainly means something if you already know the neighborhoods, and you know the needs of the community and the climate here. So some local experience would be helpful, but I'd also welcome a fresh set of eyes as long as they were truly passionate about making a place like this better."