City of Eagan Names Four Finalists in Search for New Administrator

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City officials have narrowed the field in their search for a replacement for outgoing Eagan City Administrator Tom Hedges.

After receiving 39 applications for the position, city officials working with Twin Cities recruitment firm Brimeyer Fursman selected four finalists for the job. The Eagan City Council will interview the candidates on Jan. 17 and Jan. 18 and the city will hold an informal public reception for the finalists at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday evening at the Eagan Community Center.

The finalists include Susan Arntz, the current city administrator of Waconia; Matthew S. Fulton, an organizational consultant in California; current Hastings City Administrator David M. Osberg; and Robert Padmore, the assistant city manager for Sioux City, Iowa.

Arntz, who has a masters degree in public administration, has served in local government for 17 years. Fulton has previous experience as the former city manager of Coon Rapids and New Brighton, although he doesn't currently work in city adminstration. Osberg, who once served in Eagan as an intern in 1981 and 1982, has worked in local government for 30 years. Before taking the job in Sioux City, Padmore served as a management analyst for the city of Minneapolis, among other positions.

The hunt for a new administrator began in September, when 36-year veteran Tom Hedges announced that he plans to retire in February. Hedges, Eagan's first and only administrator, was hired in 1976 after a short stint as the city administrator for New Prague.

After Hedges' announcement late last year, voted to hire recruitment firm Brimeyer Fursman to help with the search. Brimeyer Fursman representatives met individually with city staff and elected officials to draft a description of Hedges' position and the desired and required characteristics of a successful candidate for the job.

Required qualifications for the position included: a Bachelor's degree in public administration or business administration, a minimum of 10 years in municipal government or a comparable organization, with at least five years in an executive position and a strong sense of honesty, among other characteristics.