MILL CREEK — The City Council on Tuesday narrowed the list of candidates for city manager to five finalists.

Now they’ll go through a rigorous, two-day selection process that includes interviews with city department staffs, the seven council members individually, the council as a whole and the public.

City Manager Ken Armstrong resigned Jan. 2. The council on Nov. 25 unanimously passed a resolution stating its intent to terminate Armstrong from his $144,200-a-year job and passed another measure that put him on paid leave.

The council hasn’t given a reason for letting Armstrong go. Since Mill Creek was incorporated in 1983, the elected body has forced half of the city managers to resign.

This time, the city spent $23,000 to hire the recruiting firm Colin Baenziger &Associates to find a replacement. The firm selected 62 candidates from across the country.

The five finalists are scheduled to tour Mill Creek and meet with city staff April 16. That evening, people can meet the candidates at a public reception at 6 p.m in the City Hall annex building. The Mill Creek City Council is expected to choose a city manager at its meeting at 6 p.m. on April 21 at City Hall.

The council is scheduled to interview finalists April 17 behind closed doors. They are:

George Korthauer of Petoskey, Michigan. He served for 25 years as city manager in the resort community of almost 6,000 along Lake Michigan. Korthauer’s experience includes working as CEO of a nonprofit that provides emergency-medical services in five counties and serving as interim city manager in Cheboygan, Michigan. He has a master’s degree in public administration from Roosevelt University in Chicago.

Richard Leahy of Snohomish. He is the city manager in Woodinville, which has a population of about 11,000. Leahy previously worked as city administrator in Mukilteo. He has also served as assistant city manager in Paramount, California. Leahy has master’s degree in public administration from the University of Southern California.

Rebecca Polizzotto of Douglas, Alaska, near Juneau, an assistant state attorney general. Polizzotto previously worked her way up to city manager from police officer in Conyers, Georgia, near Atlanta. During her tenure in Georgia, she served in various positions and made arrangements for equestrian activities for the 1996 Olympic Games. Polizzotto has a master’s degree in public administration and a law degree from Georgia State University.

Donald “Pete” Rose of Friday Harbor. He is the city administrator in Lake Forest Park. Rose previously served as the San Juan county administrator and the city manager in Woodinville. He also worked as city administrator in Medical Lake and Quincy. Rose has a master’s degree in government from Cal State University in Sacramento.

Scott Somers of Hillsboro, Oregon, the Clatsop County manager. He previously served as city manager in Reedsport, Oregon, which has about 4,000 people, and worked as assistant city administrator in Savage, Minnesota near Minneapolis. Somers has a master of public administration from the University of Arizona.

The Clatsop County Commission agreed in February to spend more than $10,000 to hire a third-party state group to review Somers’ performance.

Amy Nile: 425-339-3192; anile@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @AmyNileReports.