Steve Rymer, the City of Morgan Hill’s Community Services Director, has been named one of three finalists for the vacant city manager job in Eau Claire, Wisc., according to a press release sent out by the City of Eau Claire.
Rymer, who has worked for Morgan Hill since 2006, said he is seeking the job – a step up from his current position – for the “professional growth opportunity.”
“I’ve always strived for a city manager’s position,” Rymer said.
A number of factors played into his decision to seek the top post in the northern Midwest locale, including the fact that Eau Claire seems to place a “high value on quality-of-life issues,” and is in general a “good area.”
Rymer is also originally from the Minneapolis, Minn. area, where he still has family and which is about 90 miles west of Eau Claire.
Before taking the post in Morgan Hill, Rymer was the director of parks and recreation for a decade in New Brighton, Minn. from 1996 until 2006.
Rymer replaced Rod Cooper as the director of recreation and community services for the City of Morgan Hill in 2006.
After a restructuring of his department last year, in response to budget cuts, the City Council broadened the scope of his job and renamed his position “community services director.”
Rymer is up against an in-house finalist, current assistant city manager Dale Peters, and Russell Van Gompel of Brown Deer, Wisc. The position is open because Eau Claire’s city manager retired in December, according to the local newspaper the Leader-Telegram.
Eau Claire, Wisc. is located in northwestern Wisconsin, about 90 miles east of Minneapolis, Minn. and has a population of about 65,000 people.
The decision by Eau Claire should be complete in a few weeks.
