SEAL BEACH : Interviews Begin for City Manager Hopefuls

Council members will begin interviews today with three finalists vying for the job of city manager. They expect to reach a decision by Monday.

The city received about 130 applications from across the country for the job after former City Manager Jerry L. Bankston left in June. After four years in Seal Beach, Bankston left to become city manager of La Habra.

Council members say they want an experienced fiscal manager who will help the city cope with limited revenue that led to an unpopular 11% tax in 1993 on several utilities.

Bankston is credited with helping eliminate the city’s $1.2-million budget deficit he inherited in 1991.

Council members concluded interviews with 11 finalists last week. The three finalists are a current city manager, a former city manager and a high-ranking city official.

“We want someone who will share our vision of keeping this a small town,” Mayor Marilyn Bruce Hastings said. “We also want someone who is going to be financially astute.”

Jack Shelver, a former San Diego area city manager, is serving as interim city manager.

Seal Beach has a history of losing city managers to higher-paid positions in other cities, according to Councilman Frank Laszlo.

Bankston now earns $98,000 a year in La Habra, a boost of about $13,000 over his previous salary.

“This is the third city manager I’ve gone through,” Laszlo said. “I’ve always felt that if we don’t pay our city managers enough, we’ll lose them to another city, and that’s what happened.”