Keith Bass

THOMASVILLE, Ga. — The Tallahassee, Florida, company performing a city manager search for the City of Thomasville will review applicants later this month.

The search firm, S. Renée Narlock & Associates, will review applications July 18 and flag those meeting qualifications, said Keith Bass, interim city utilities superintendent.

The city manager salary is based on qualifications.

“I think there is a sense of urgency, but I think council should do their due diligence,” Bass said.

Council member Jay Flowers said the city is looking for a professional “with significant experience in city or county government.”

Said Flowers, “We need someone who understands our utilities business and other enterprise businesses, but they do not have to be an expert in those fields.”

Flowers said the goal is to have good candidates to interview in August or September.

Qualifications call for the Thomasville city manager to have exceptional leadership skills, along with a collaborative, team-oriented, collaborative style.

The individual must be a visionary leader with sound business acumen, solid budgetary skills and experience with governmental utilities. A bachelor’s in public or business administration or a closely-related field is required. A master’s degree is preferred.

The Tallahassee firm conducting the search also is performing searches for various positions in governmental entities in Norfolk, Virginia, Dunedin, Naples and Kissimmee in Florida, Cincinnati and Youngstown in Ohio, and San Antonio, Texas.

“The process of finding a city manager is council-driven,” Bass said. “The city manager is the only city employee who reports to the council.”

Thomasville has been without a permanent city manager since Steve Sykes left the post in December 2017. Kha Thomas McDonald has been serving as interim city manager since Jan. 1.

Senior reporter Patti Dozier can be reached at (229) 226-2400, ext. 1820