Polson has appointed an interim city manager while a search is underway for its third full-time administrator in seven years.
Karen Sargeant, the city’s public information officer and parks director, stepped in as acting city manager earlier this month after Todd Crossett vacated the position on April 30.
The Polson City Commission voted 4-3 in December to not renew Crossett’s contract this June. Crossett, who became Polson’s chief administrative officer in June 2009, filed a lawsuit against the city in March in a dispute over lost wages and severance pay. The lawsuit was settled out of court, according to Mayor Pat DeVries. Crossett has since been hired by the city of Crested Butte, Colo., to be city manager.
Sargeant has worked in city hall since 2004. The city council voted on May 20 to hire Prothman Company, a consulting firm that specializes in recruitment services, to conduct a search for Polson’s next full-time city manager.