Find out who the 11 candidates are who were recommended for Oak Ridge city manager

Donna Smith, Oakridger
Updated ·2 min read
The Oak Ridge Municipal Building
The Oak Ridge Municipal Building

EDITOR'S NOTE: Since this story was published, candidates Shannon Lavrin and John Manning have pulled out of the candidacy for Oak Ridge's new city manager, according to city information.

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Executive search firm GovHR USA has recommended 11 candidates for Oak Ridge City Council to consider to fill the city manager's position left with the retirement of Mark Watson on May 5.

"We had a successful outreach effort yielding 54 resumes from 23 states and one other country," GovHR USA President Heidi Voorhees stated in a letter to council, which listed the firm's recommended candidates.

A special called meeting for council to consider which of these candidates they wish to interview, as well as any of the 54 people who applied, is set for 6 p.m. June 27 in the Oak Ridge Municipal Building. Voorhees will attend that meeting via Zoom to provide an overview of the recruitment process and answer any questions regarding candidates.

The 11 recommended by GovHR USA are:

  • Brian J. Borne, former city manager for Monroe, North Carolina

  • Casey Bradley, city administrator for Baraboo, Wisconsin

  • Ciro M. Cetrangolo, village administrator/chief of police for Richmond, Illinois

  • Randall Dowling, county manager for Harris County, Hamilton, Georgia

  • Aretha R. Ferrell-Benavides, former city manager for Duncanville, Texas

  • Randall W. "Randy" Hemann, town manager for Mooresville, North Carolina

  • Arthur J. "A.J." Krieger, town manager for Firestone, Colorado

  • Shannon Lavrin, planning director/assistant city manager for Greenville, South Carolina

  • John D. Manning, former assistant city administrator for Branson, Missouri

  • James Tyson "Ty" Ross, city manager for Loudon, Tennessee, general manager for Loudon Utilities

  • Julius Suchy, township manager for Ada Township, Ada, Michigan

Nine Oak Ridge-Knoxville area residents are among the 54 people who applied but were not recommended by GovHR USA.

At their monthly meeting earlier in June, council members increased compensation for GovHR USA by $5,000, raising it to $30,000 to pay for travel and other expenses.

The Oak Ridger's News Editor Donna Smith covers Oak Ridge area news. Email her at dsmith@oakridger.com and follow her on Twitter@ridgernewsed. Support The Oak Ridger by subscribing Offers available at https://subscribe.oakridger.com/offers.

This article originally appeared on Oakridger: 11 recommended for Oak Ridge city manager job