Fernley interviews two finalists but delays city manager appointment

The Fernley City Council interviewed two finalists for the vacant city manager position but took no appointment action.

CPS HR consultant Eric Von Savage outlined the search process and said the firm received 92 applicants and had screened that pool down to two finalists. Each finalist—Andy Ramirez and Amy Stevenson—answered a standardized set of council questions in a public interview format. Questions covered managing opposition, fiscal transparency, operational restructuring, building trust between elected officials and staff, intergovernmental coordination, innovation in municipal services, and 30/60/90 onboarding plans.

Ramirez described using public financial‑transparency software and field visits to build trust and cited examples of intergovernmental projects, including a multi‑city LED streetlight retrofit and expedited corridor repaving. Stevenson described overseeing veteran‑care operations during COVID‑19 and centralizing fiscal operations to improve billing and revenue (she said centralization and training recovered roughly $1.8 million in revenue in her prior role).

Following private consultations between the mayor and council, the mayor announced that neither finalist will be brought forward for appointment at this time. Council directed CPS HR to continue outreach to other applicants, consider additional candidates, and form a broader interview committee with regional stakeholders and public‑safety leaders to assist with the selection process. Council members emphasized the need to accelerate the process, citing the ongoing budget schedule.

What’s next: CPS HR will continue candidate screening and the mayor will coordinate formation of a committee to participate in future interviews; no personnel action was taken at this meeting.