Sioux City holds finalist interviews for city manager; candidates cite staff retention, housing and regional cooperation

Sioux City held public finalist interviews for its next city manager on a meeting day that included two hourlong candidate sessions and a community question-and-answer period. Craig Clark, administrator for Austin, Minnesota, and Drew (city administrator, Winterset) described their experience and priorities and answered council and public questions; no hiring decision was announced.

Both candidates told the council that personnel and intergovernmental relationships would be priorities if hired. "Most important asset...is the staff," said Craig Clark, who emphasized pay and retention, capital-equipment needs and the need to align staff work with council priorities. "The number one thing...is to build trust," said Drew, who described an "inside-out" onboarding that begins with department heads and moves outward to community stakeholders and regional partners.

Clark emphasized experience with multi-level funding and economic incentives. He described using a five-year tax-abatement program in previous posts to spur market-rate housing and said his…