Lamar City Council unanimously hires Mitch as city administrator, sets Oct. 27 start date

The Lamar City Council voted unanimously on Sept. 29 to hire Mitch as Lamar City’s next city administrator, the council announced at a special meeting.

Council members said Mitch was the top-ranked finalist in separate score sheets completed by the council, city staff and members of the public who attended a meet-and-greet. The chair told the council the candidate rankings were Mitch first, Lou second and Sam third across council, staff and community tallies.

The council convened briefly in executive session before resuming the meeting to discuss the administrator search. After discussion, a council member moved to hire Mitch and another seconded the motion. The motion passed by unanimous voice vote; the chair announced Mitch’s anticipated start date could be Oct. 27.

Council members praised Mitch’s community connections, noting ties to Colorado Springs and to Lamar, and said they believed his leadership and management skills would be a good fit for the city despite one council member describing him as less experienced in municipal administration than other finalists.

The transcript contains inconsistent renderings of Mitch’s surname (transcribed at points as “Hamus” and “Hemis”); the council recorded only the candidate’s given name. The council did not state a proposed employment contract or salary in the open meeting record.

The council’s action follows an interview process that included interviews with council and staff and a public meet-and-greet at Tavern 15301/1301, where community members were invited to provide comments and votes that the council said it considered alongside internal assessments.

The council will complete hiring paperwork and other personnel steps before Mitch’s stated start date. The next regular council meeting is scheduled for Oct. 13 at 7 p.m.