The Albert Lea City Council reached a consensus Saturday afternoon to offer the position of Albert Lea city manager to Pines North, Colo., city manager Alan Lanning.

As of press time, the council was discussing Lanning’s offer, which would be given to him later Saturday.

Mayor Mike Murtaugh said he was not sure when to expect a response back about whether Lanning accepts the position.

Murtaugh said Lanning was either the top or second choice of the entire council.

The backup candidate was Jim Norman, interim city manager of Afton.

“We really thought Mr. Lanning and Mr. Norman stood out,” he said.

“I think Alan just really had an edge on how he is able to work with budgeting and city infrastructure and that kind of thing,” Murtaugh added. “He’s just got a really good background and very good experiences that he’s able to draw from.”

The decision came after the five Albert Lea city manager finalists went under the microscope Saturday during three interview sessions at City Hall, answering questions about their backgrounds, management styles and reactions to the community thus far.

Each candidate went through interviews with the council, city staff and a citizens panel.

Other finalists were Dean Torreson, city manager of Macomb, Ill.; David Torgler, former city administrator of Leavenworth, Wash.; and Greg Sund, former city administrator of Spearfish, S.D.

Albert Lea Housing and Redevelopment Authority Executive Director Jon Ford, who presented the viewpoint of the citizens panel to the council, said the panel found all of the candidates interesting and noted that each had strengths.

The following is a summary of the interviews with each candidate:

Alan Lanning

Ford said the citizens panel described Lanning as someone who is committed to family, energetic and interested in taking on a challenge.

Lanning seemed concise in his answers and had a good personality, Ford added.

Some on the panel described him as “gutsy.”

He said the panel thought he would be strong in decision making, but their one concern was that he may be overly analytical.

During his council interview, Lanning described his philosophical approach to the budget, saying that for him, the funds can be divided into discretionary and nondiscretionary.

Nondiscretionary is everything absolutely necessary — such as utilities and paying staff — while discretionary is the projects that may not be necessarily essential.

“It becomes a much easier exercise if you’re only having a big discussion about discretionary items,” he said. “It’s like spending your own personal budget. If you don’t have money to go to a movie, you don’t go to a movie.”

He seemed comfortable with the council, starting off his presentation with a joke about city managers.

Lanning received a bachelor’s degree in political science from South Dakota State University in Brookings, S.D., in 1982, and a master’s degree in public management from South Dakota State University in Vermillion, S.D., in 1992.

Prior to his work in Pines North, Colo., he worked in Steamboat Springs, Colo., Brookings, S.D., Minturn, Colo. and in Arizona.

Jim Norman

Ford said Norman seemed straightforward and appeared to have really studied Albert Lea, noting, however, that some panel members thought he over-prepared.

Some of the panel also thought he had creative solutions to bring to the table and was direct with the questions asked, he said.

He received a bachelor’s degree in political science and public administration from Mankato State University in Mankato in 1977 and a master’s degree in urban and regional studies from Mankato State University in 1988.

He currently works as the interim city manager in Afton and has previously worked as the city manager-equivalent in Ramsey, Montevideo and Renville. He worked as county coordinator in Dodge County and as assistant city manager in White Bear Lake.

During Norman’s interview with the council, Councilor Vern Rasmussen read aloud Norman’s personality profile, which contained both good and bad points and then asked Norman to respond to it.

Norman said he’s taken similar surveys over the year and he’s aware of his strengths and weaknesses, though he would like to think the positives outweigh the negatives.

He said in a position such as city manager, he would be cognizant of his weaknesses and then surround himself with a team of people who can fill in the gaps.

Some highlights for the council were Norman’s connections to others on the state level and his go-getter personality.

David Torgler

Ford said the citizens panel thought Torgler had a “fairly decent” background and described him as a good communicator.

“In general he was down to earth and would be somebody the community members could meet with easily,” he said.

Torgler also appeared to be a good listener and had good ideas about long-term planning, including collaboration, he said.

“He said he wasn’t afraid to say no, which is always helpful,” Ford added.

“I think in general he did a really good job.”

Torgler received a bachelor’s degree from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Mich., in 1982 and a master’s degree in urban management from North Illinois University in DeKalb, Ill., in 1986.

He has previously worked as a city manager-equivalent in Winter Park, Colo.; Burlington, Wis.; and Itasca, Ill, and as the assistant village manager in Addison, Ill.

Torgler told the citizens panel he got into the field of public administration because he thought he could get involved and make a difference.

He said he would work to gain the trust and confidence of the community and city leaders by accomplishing and following through on projects.

“Without trust, I think you’d find it impossible to do your job,” he said.

In a case of conflict between two community members, he said he would first listen to both sides and understand the issue before trying to bring the two parties together.

Dean Torreson

Ford said the citizens panel was impressed with Torreson’s background and experience and liked several of his specific statements to the group.

He said Torreson seemed to be rational with his approach to dealing with conflict and that he understood his role about the city manager position with the community. He showed particular interest in downtown development.

The panel did think he was somewhat introverted, Ford said.

Rasmussen described Torreson as a man of his word, someone who people could trust.

“He’s clearly a trustworthy, sincere person,” Councilor Ellen Kehr said. “He has a very good sense of who he is.”

Councilors addressed a concern about Torreson’s reserved nature as well.

“I think to be a city manager you have to be there,” Councilor Larry Baker said. “You have to personify what you’re trying to represent. We’re trying to get the city to be progressive, bold and move forward.”

Torreson received a bachelor’s degree in political science from Minnesota State University Mankato in 1980 and a master’s of public administration from Minnesota State University Mankato in 1981.

He has worked as the city manager of Macomb, Ill., since 2008.

Prior to that he has worked as city manager or administrator in Spencer, Iowa; West Point, Iowa; and Osceola, Iowa.

He also worked as staff director in Dickinson, N.D.

He said he would gain the trust of citizens and community leaders by being forthright and honest with people and being knowledgable of issues. He also talked about the importance of making sound, wise decisions, and of not making promises that couldn’t be kept.

Torreson said he is pleased with the community spirit in Albert Lea.

Greg Sund

Ford said the citizens panel thought Sund was a good speaker and a passionate person.

They thought he had diverse interests and seemed to be a realist, he said.

“He seemed to be very people-oriented, a champion for the people,” Ford said.

The panel also thought Sund was probably the most easily engaging and that he could prioritize well.

Their concern with him was that he might be too passive, Ford said.

Sund said there is very little about city government he doesn’t like. The only thing that bothers him is when projects get bogged down.

“I like to keep them moving,” he said.

He described citizens as “customers,” and the council as the “owners.”

“I don’t think government functions well without involving citizens,” he said. “That’s always a challenge.”

He said he gains trust from a community by being involved with it. In the past he’s been involved with various boards and positions, including the United Way and Habitat for Humanity, among others.

He did note, however, that he gets involved with these types of community organizations because he wants to, not because he has to.

Prior to his time in Spearfish, S.D., Sund worked in Dickinson, N.D., Platte, S.D., and Rapid City, S.D.

He received his bachelor’s degree from Black Hills State University in Spearfish, S.D., in 1986, and his master’s degree in public administration from the Universty of South Dakota in Vermillion, S.D., in 1989.