Maricopa leaders to interview 6 candidates for city manager

Six candidates for Maricopa’s city manager position will be interviewed Monday by city council members, city department heads and community stakeholders.

The Sacramento-based recruitment firm CPS HR Consulting has conducted a nationwide search for the city’s top post.

Executive Recruiter Stuart Satow said Friday 45 people had applied to the position. While he could not give names, he said three of the six candidates invited to be interviewed have “Arizona experience” and three are from other areas of the country.

Former Maricopa City Manager Brenda Fischer left the city for Glendale’s city manager position in July. Trisha Sorensen, who previously held leadership positions in Mesa, has been acting as interim city manager.

Satow said the goal on Monday will be for city leaders to narrow down the number of candidates. Candidates will partake in a number of activities including a tour of the city in the morning as well as a lunch in the afternoon.

“It’s a full-day process,” Satow said.

A closed-session meeting for interviews has been scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Monday, according to a city council special meeting agenda.

The plan is for top finalists to be re-interviewed on Tuesday, Satow said. Depending on how the process goes, the city could publicly release the names of the top finalists that day.

Closed-session meetings have been scheduled for noon and 7 p.m. on Tuesday, according to city council special meeting agendas. There will be no regular city council meeting.