A Closer Look at Interim City Manager Candidates

There are a number of candidates trying out for the interim Seward City Manager position. Lets take a closer look and see who our favorite is:

Marvin Yoder
Candidate Marvin Yoder has been doing a lot of explaining lately. According to a recent article by Robert Howl, Nuclear secrets buried in open sight, The danger of Alaska’s nuclear legacy Yoder is "City manager of Galena, a small town of about 700 souls along the Yukon River 300 miles northwest of Anchorage, Yoder and city council members are spearheading a plan to power the place with plutonium.

Or uranium.

They are looking at an underground, 10-megawatt nuclear reactor being developed by Toshiba Corporation in Japan.

“We already went through a feasibility study, and we got some money for environmental studies,” Yoder said in a telephone interview, citing a $500,000 grant from the Alaska legislature.

Now the questions are piling up about security, containment of the vessel, and cost-to-benefit ratios.

Galena, as most other rural communities in the Yukon-Kuskokwim River drainages, imports its yearly supply of diesel fuel at high cost via river barge each year.

Electricity costs in rural Alaska are exorbitant-more than three and a half times the national average per kilowatt hour-and Yoder said it is in the long-term interest of his community to explore the nuclear option.

“We’re moving ahead with this. We’ll see what happens.”

Compared with other small-scale nuclear power plants in America, the Galena proposal is fairly miniscule. For example, it would be about one-fortieth of the size production facilities such as the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Plant in Omaha, Nebraska, at 470 megawatts.

Regardless, the idea has raised concerns from groups including the Yukon River Intertribal Watershed Council and the non-profit Reactor Watchdog Project, based in Washington, D.C."

Hmmm, after the alternate energy proposals for a natural gas plant, hydro plant, and coal plant were so well received by council - consideration of this pro-nuclear guy could be entertaining...I predict 30 seconds before someone has a meltdown.



Scott Williams
Scott Williams is perhaps the most "interesting" of all the interim city manager candidates. According to Wickipedia, Williams is an American alleged serial killer who is accused of murdering and mutilating three prostitutes in Union county, North Carolina between 1997 and 2006. He has yet to go to trial so I guess he has some free time on his hands, and the close proximity of the jail to the city manager's office assures a quick commute.



Lee Houston
Applicant Lee Houston is credited with developing some pretty famous video games, including: The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo (2006), I-Play Metal Slug: Mobile (2004), and I-Play VR Sports Powerboat Racing (1998), Interplay Entertainment Corp. Hey, if the past is any indication, gamesmanship is important in a city managers.



Matt Rowley
Also applying is Matt Rowley, author of The Joy of Moonshine: Recipes Tall Tales Drinking Songs Historical Stuff Knee-slappers How to Make it How to Drink it.
..published in July 2006 by Lark Books. The ISBN is 1579906586 and Lists for $14.95. This one is just too easy. I am sure he is going to be a real hit with Vanta and Linda.



David Squires
According to the resume posted online by David Squires his employment experience includes Developmental Pathways Study Process: Designs staff development approaches to assisting schools to understand children's development through the examination of a child’s life during a year, by keeping non-judgmental records, sharing those records in a group, and learning about Comer's six developmental pathways.

We are sure that the skills he gathered examing the development of elementary school children in a non-judgmental way will assist him in working in the interim city manager position, as well as the time he spent working at The Beach Club, Conneaut Lake, PA, Bartender, summers of 1969 - 70. Fanwood Swim Club, Fanwood, NJ, Life Guard and Swim Coach, 1967. And most importantly at the Mine Safety Co., Wilkinsburg, PA, Carpenter's Helper, summer, 1966.



Pat Reilly
Reilly's carrier started with Hideout in the Sun (1960.) Following that he was in the film Nude on the Moon (1961,)aka Girls on the Moon, aka Moon Dolls (USA: bowdlerized title, aka Nature Girls on the Moon, aka Nudes on the Moon.

He portrayed the Fort Worth - First Referee in Tough Enough (1983) before capturing Stretch Hendricks in "Dear John" (2 episodes, 1990.)Pat then played the 4th Thug in Delusion (1991), then Paramedic One in Future Shock (1993.)

The most appropriate role that tells us that Pat is a viable candidate for interim Seward City Manager is the last one, a Porter in Raising Hell (2003).

Well, that rounds out the field. Post a comment and tell us who you are rooting for.

Interim City Manager Interviews are scheduled for Tuesday, November 21, 2006 from 4:00 to 6:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers. The "Public is Urged to Attend !!"

Pat Reilly – 4:00 p.m., David Squires – 4:20 p.m., Matt Rowley – 4:40 p.m., Lee Houston – 5:00 p.m., Scott Williams – 5:20 p.m., Marvin Yoder – 5:40 p.m.

Seward City Clerk Jean Lewis advises:

Sorry I went home instead of sending this message, but the city council will be negotiating an interim contract with a gentleman named Marvin Yoder. It appears he will be here on a part time basis and has over 20 years of city manager experience moving projects forward. We will begin advertising for a permanent city manager immediately.--Jean