The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Negotiating contract before the September 6 meeting
By Mark Reaman
Former Salida city administrator Dara MacDonald has been offered the job of Crested Butte town manager. The Crested Butte Town Council made the announcement at a special meeting on Monday, August 29 after a 15-minute closed-door executive session.
“We have been doing a lot of work and interviewing, and we think we found a good fit for the community,” said mayor Glenn Michel. “All seven of us solidified around one candidate and we think she will do a great job.”
MacDonald worked as Salida city administrator from May 2012 until this June, when disagreements with the new town council led to her contract being terminated by a 4-3 vote. As administrator she oversaw 59 full-time employees and 56 part-timers. Before that she was the community development director for Salida between June 2005 and May 2012. She has worked as a planner in Frisco as well as Bozeman. MacDonald said she is an avid outdoorswoman who enjoys skiing, snowboarding, rafting, hiking and trail running.
“I’m really excited for the opportunity,” she said Tuesday. “It’s something I have wanted to do for a long time, and I’m sure the council and I can work out the details of the contract in the coming week.”
Michel publicly thanked the hiring consultant, Chuck Rohre of Waters and Company, for guiding the council through the hiring process that drew 55 applications.
“That was money well spent,” Michel said of the $24,500 contract. He also thanked the staff and three finalists for taking the time to go through the rigorous process.
The council moved to instruct Rohre to negotiate a final contract with MacDonald. Michel expects the council to act on a contract at the September 6 meeting. He said the September 19 meeting would then be the final one for interim town manager Bill Crank.
“We wanted to be certain we had the right fit for the town,” summarized Michel. “We think we do.”
The council voted 5-0 to pursue the contract negotiations with MacDonald. Councilmen Paul Merck and Roland Mason were not at the meeting.
