City manager finalist withdraws
HEIDI DESCH | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 10 years, 1 month AGO
DEPUTY EDITOR, FEATURES Heidi Desch is the Deputy Editor at the Daily Inter Lake, overseeing coverage of arts, culture, lifestyle, community, and business. Desch leads reporters in developing stories that highlight the people, traditions, and events shaping Northwest Montana, guiding content across print and digital platforms. With more than 20 years of journalism experience, including serving as managing editor of the Whitefish Pilot, Desch is a graduate of the University of Montana School of Journalism. She has received multiple Montana Newspaper Association awards, including part of the team leading the Daily Inter Lake to Best Daily Newspaper in Montana Award and the General Excellence Award in 2024 and 2025. IMPACT: Heidi’s work connects readers with stories that deepen the understanding of the community beyond daily news. | September 7, 2016 11:45 AM
One of the four finalists vying to be the next Whitefish City Manager has withdrawn from consideration. As a result, the city has decided to add another candidate to keep the pool at four total in the running for the city’s top administrative job.
Dara MacDonald of Salida, Colorado, told the city last week she has accepted another position in Colorado and no longer would like to be considered for the Whitefish job.
Whitefish City Council decided to add Kim Park, the elected town supervisor in Wolcott, New York, to the list of finalists. Park will join the other three finalists in Whitefish this week for a public meet and greet and a round of interviews.
In addition to serving as town supervisor for Wolcott, Park has served as an elected county supervisor for Wayne County, New York. Before serving in elected positions, Park served as county administrator for Wayne County for about two years, while also managing her own small business. Park holds bachelor degrees in marketing and psychology, and master degrees in public administration and education.
Other finalists include, Ken Decker, a county administrator from Caroline County, Maryland; Edwin Meece, former city manager for the city of Livingston; and Chuck Winn, assistant city manager for the city of Bozeman.
Current City Manager Chuck Stearns is set to retire at the end of this year.
Whitefish is holding a public meet and greet of the candidates for city manager on Thursday, Sept. 15 at Casey’s from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
City Council, a staff interview committee and a community interview committee will conduct interviews of the candidates on Sept. 16 at City Hall. City Council will meet in executive session on either Sept. 16 or Sept. 19 to determine which candidate to extend an offer of employment.
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