Looking for work?

City manager jobs are popping up all over this state. Palmer's is open, Kotzebue's is open, and - after last night's Council meeting - Nome's will be open in December.

Being a city manager strikes me as one of the most thankless jobs in all of public service. All politics is local and the city manager bears the brunt of complaints about whatever happens to be making folks upset. And the city manager has to be subservient to a city council that may not always know as much about the issues as the manager but has ultimate control. I imagine a good city manager has to have an internal compass that keeps him or her in line with serving the public and does not allow criticism to detract from that goal.

Fortunately, Nome has been blessed with a fine city manager who will soon be missed. Wonder how many people want the job? Public service is less and less appealing to folks of my generation.