Five applicants have been selected to interview for the position of the Blue Earth city administrator position. Candidate numbers could be reduced to four, as one is also a finalist for the Wells city administrator position, and could be hired today.

The names were released at the end of the regular city council meeting last week Monday.

Those five are Kathy Bailey, Diane Miller, Cheryl Nymann, Julia Petit and Alfred Vacanti. Miller is one of two finalists in Wells.

Bailey is currently the city administrator and EDA director for Madelia. She has held that position since October 2006. Before that, she held similar positions for Sherburn from July 1999 to October 2006.

Miller is currently the city administrator for the city of Canby. She has held that position for less than a year. She has also been the administrator for Siren, Wisc.

Nymann has been the city clerk/treasurer for Oronoco since March of 2003. She lives in Altura.

Petit was the city clerk/finance officer for the city of Pomeroy, Iowa, from 2005 to February of 2008.

Vacanti was the village administrator/treasurer for North Fond du Lac, Wisc., from April 2007 to November 2007. Before that he was the city manager of Chadron, Neb., from May 2005 to September 2006. He was in private law practice for 22 years prior to becoming a city manager.

Interim City Administrator Bill Bassett said he has contacted all five, and recommended they be interviewed out of the list of 15 applicants.

The council agreed.

Interviews are scheduled for Saturday, July 19. An open house for the candidates to meet local business and civic leaders is set for Friday night before the interviews.

The city council also agreed to have the Mankato Police Department handle criminal and credit checks at a cost of $40 per applicant, Bassett said.

Mayor Rob Hammond has said that he would hope the council could make a selection at their July 21 meeting.

“I would like to see us make a selection as soon as possible,” he commented.