By Brian Kelly
Herald Writer
ARLINGTON — The top candidate in Arlington’s search for a new fire chief has been offered a contract, city administrator Kristin Banfield said Friday.
Although Banfield declined to say Friday just who the city’s top choice is, an announcement may be made soon if the candidate accepts the offer.
Arlington recently narrowed its field of contenders to three: John Pauls, the former chief of the Burlington Fire Department; Larry Goff, a battalion chief for the Lake Oswego Fire Department in Oregon; and Mike Ganz, a deputy fire chief for the Redmond Fire Department.
The new hire will replace longtime fire chief Dean Olsen, who retired in February after serving more than 26 years with the department.
A total of 31 candidates from across the country applied for the position. Arlington is now waiting for word on whether the employment contract will be acceptable to the city’s top choice.
"We are pretty much done, thank goodness," Banfield said.
Meanwhile, the search for a new police chief continues. Police chief Steve Robinson is leaving the post he has held for 11 years, and Friday was the deadline for candidates to return an employment questionnaire for the job.
"We will narrow that group down further next week," Banfield said, adding that candidate interviews will start the week of Aug. 13.
About 15 people have submitted applications, and the city hopes to hire a new police chief before the end of the month.
"I hope to have an offer out the last week of August. So we can expect, hopefully, someone on board in the middle of September," she said.
You can call Herald Writer Brian Kelly at 425-339-3422 or send e-mail to kelly@heraldnet.com.
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