Fort Meade Commission approves offer of city manager job to Minnesotan

Fort Meade has officially hired a new city manager.

The City Commission voted 4-0 in a special meeting Thursday night to approve a contract offer for Pat Oman, currently county administrator for Becker County in Minnesota. Oman said Friday evening that he had signed a contract earlier in the day and expects to join the city on Jan. 22.

Samuel Berrien, appearing at only his second meeting after winning a November election for an open seat, joined Mayor James Watts and fellow commissioners Bob Elliott and James “Possum” Schaill in voting to approve the contract negotiated by City Attorney Chris Berg. Commissioner Petrina McCutchen was absent.

Fort Meade offered Oman a salary of $125,000, nearly $17,000 less than he currently makes. The contract includes moving expenses of up to $5,000, a $400 monthly vehicle allowance and a contribution of 12% of Oman’s salary to a retirement investment.

"I think it’s an interesting opportunity," Oman said. "In interviewing with the city commissioners, I really appreciated what they’re looking for in a city manager. They’re looking for a chief administrative officer that will run the city and implement strategic growth and economic development opportunities, and that’s something that’s really part of my background. And that’s an opportunity I’m not seeing in my current position."

Berrien asked for a delay in the vote, which took place at the final meeting for Elliott, who has served on the commission for 26 years. Jaret Landon Williams defeated Elliott in the November election and will take office at the Jan. 9 commission meeting.

Jan Bagnall resigned as Fort Meade’s city manager in August after 2½ years in the job. Assistant City Manager Maria Sutherland has served as interim city manager, but a clause in the city charter limits the duration of interim service to five months. Sutherland will reach the five-month mark on Jan. 21.

Elliott and other commissioners cited the time factor in pushing to move the hiring process forward before both of the newly elected members take office.

Berrien suggested consulting with the International City/County Management Association to find a retired professional willing to serve as temporary city manager, allowing a delay in hiring Oman that would not cause a charter violation. He said that would give Oman time to talk to Williams and be certain that he is comfortable with the composition of the commission he will take direction from.

“I'm not opposed to offering Mr. Oman,” Berrien said. “But what I am opposed to is not allowing the next commissioner to have that same opportunity.”

Schaill said there was a genuine risk that Oman might reconsider if the commission did not act quickly. He said he had talked with Oman for an hour by phone a few days earlier.

“I see where Sam’s coming from, but if we don't hire this man, we're going to lose him,” Schaill said. “I can tell you that right now, because he’s got another job coming up, an interview coming up tomorrow (Friday), if we don’t hire him tonight. And he wants to come here. He likes the town.”

When the other commissioners declined Berrien’s suggestion of a delay, he said he would vote to approve the contract offer for the sake of a unanimous statement.

The City Commission had voted 3-1 at a Nov. 29 meeting to make an offer to Oman. McCutchen was the sole dissenter, raising the fact that Berrien and Williams had not yet taken office after winning their elections.

Oman, 56, assumed his current position in northwest Minnesota in December 2021. He oversees 10 departments with 377 employees and an operating budget of $68 million, according to his resume. Among his accomplishments, he cited improving the county’s Standard and Poor’s credit rating from AA to AA+.

Most of Oman’s previous employment has been in Minnesota. He served from 2015 to 2021 as county administrator in Mille Lacs County and has held administrative roles in Moose Lake and Carlton County, his resume states.

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Oman worked as a corporate manager and product development engineer for Honeywell International from 1995 to 2002 and has also held two positions in economic development, according to his application packet.

He received bachelor’s degrees in biology and art history from the University of Minnesota-Duluth and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of St. Thomas-St. Paul in Minnesota, his resume states.

Oman emerged from an initial pool of 22 applications, whom city commissioners narrowed to eight candidates by individually submitting lists of applicants they deemed worthy of consideration. Of that group, only five returned pre-interview questionnaires, Sutherland said, and one dropped out before virtual interviews were scheduled.

The commission settled on two finalists: Oman and Patrick Marsh of Port Charlotte. Marsh most recently served as city manager in Fernley, Nevada, his resume indicated. The commission conducted in-person interviews with both Oman and Marsh at the Nov. 29 meeting.

Commissioners submitted rankings of each based on the interviews, and Oman received an average score of 39.5, compared to 37.5 for Marsh. In the previous virtual interviews, Marsh had scored higher than Oman.

Fort Meade promoted Bagnall from director of the electricity department to city manager in April 2021. Bagnall, who had endured frequent criticism of his performance from a group of residents active on social media, submitted his resignation in 2022 but withdrew it and was allowed to remain in the job.

The City Commission gave Bagnall a letter of reprimand in May after learning that he had signed off on the purchase of a fire truck without their approval, in what Bagnall said was confusion about what he was signing. While receiving reproofs from some citizens, Bagnall said that he had helped Fort Meade secure an unprecedented volume of grant money during his time as city manager.

Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on X @garywhite13.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Fort Meade Commission approves city manager offer to Minnesotan