Kalispell city officials have agreed to terms with the retiring city attorney in Helena to fill in as interim city manager starting Jan. 1, 2012.
Pending city council approval, David L. Nielsen will take over as the temporary chief administrative officer for Kalispell after Jane Howington vacates the position Dec. 31.
“My goal is to not just be a place holder but to add some value in the short term and to help keep the processes moving that have been started,” Nielsen said in a phone interview with the Beacon of his prospects of becoming interim manager.
Kalispell Mayor Tammi Fisher and City Attorney Charles Harball agreed to a deal with Nielsen on Dec. 7 that would be valid for up to 150 days or until a permanent hire is made. Nielsen would be paid $3,000 every two weeks.
The city council will decide on Nielsen’s hire at the Dec. 19 meeting. Howington and Harball recently issued a memorandum to Fisher and council members recommending Nielsen’s hire. The city has sufficient funds in the manager budget to pay Nielsen’s contract and conduct the search for a permanent manager, according to the memo.
Nielsen, 62, is retiring as Helena’s city attorney at the end of this month after 15 years. During his tenure in Helena, he filled in as interim city manager for roughly three months in 2009. Before that he was an attorney for the state’s Department of Revenue for five years and a county attorney in Glasgow for eight years. Nielsen grew up in Bozeman and graduated from Montana State University.
“What (Nielsen) brings to the table is he’s already familiar with the structure of Montana law and dealing and working with cities that have city managers,” Harball told the Beacon.
Harball said Nielsen is “familiar with all the issues we’re dealing with right now,” such as tax increment financing.
Nielsen has visited the Flathead Valley throughout the years but has not spent a significant amount of time here.
The prospect of filling in as city manager presented “an exciting challenge.”
“I’ve had the fortune of gaining a lot of experience and knowledge of local government in my career,” he said. “It’s fun and satisfying to help out any community with that background.”
The city has been accepting applications for the manager position since Nov. 17 after Howington announced she would be resigning. The job posting will remain open until Jan. 13, 2012. A six-person selection committee will narrow the applicant pool to five to 10 applicants. Fisher has said she hopes to have a hire made by May or June.