City of Lamar Announces City Administrator Finalists

LAMAR, CO – The City of Lamar has narrowed its search for the next City Administrator to three highly qualified candidates: Erik Hansen, Michael Patterson, and Steve Kill.

The City received 29 applications from candidates in 13 states including Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Oklahoma, and Texas.

Mayor Kirk Crespin and the members of the Lamar City Council will be hosting a public meet and greet with the candidates in the Cultural Events Center at the Lamar City Complex at 5:30 pm on December 17th, 2019. The Mayor and Council would like to invite community members to welcome and get to know candidates at this important event. The Council will consider community feedback before making their final decision.

The City Council expects to announce a finalist by the end of December after conducting candidate interviews and soliciting feedback from community and staff. Depending on the successful candidate’s availability, he will assume the position in early 2020.

The City of Lamar selected Strategic Government Resources (SGR) to assist in conducting the extensive search that resulted in an impressive candidate pool. SGR is an executive recruitment firm based in Keller, Texas, specializing in recruiting, assessing, and developing innovative, collaborative, and authentic leaders for local governments.

The finalists are as follows:

Erik Hansen has 18 years of local government experience and most recently served as consultant and general manager of Todd Creek Village Metropolitan District in Brighton, Colorado, from August 2018 to May 2019. Erik served as county commissioner for Adams County, Colorado, from 2011 to 2019, and he served the City of Thornton, Colorado, as mayor from 2007 to 2011, and as a city council member from 2001 to 2008. Erik previously served as director of e-commerce for VITRASUN in Lakewood, Colorado, in 2009; vice president of marketing for ID Watchdog in Denver, Colorado, from 2007 to 2008; president of Subscription Marketing, LLC, in Thornton, Colorado, from 2005 to 2007; director of product marketing and development for Video Professor, Inc., in Lakewood, Colorado, from 2001 to 2004; and president and lead consultant for Hansen Consulting, LLC, in Thornton, Colorado, from 1999 to 2001.

Erik holds a MBA from the University of Denver and a bachelor’s in political science from Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri. He holds a certificate in State and Local Government Leadership from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government

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Michael (Mike) Patterson has more than 20 years of local government experience and currently serves as the City Manager of Florence, Colorado, a position he has held since 2012. Mike previously served as a consultant for the Perseverance Group in Bend, Oregon, from 2009 to 2012; City Manager of Redmond, Oregon, from 2004 to 2008; City Manager of College Place, Washington, from 1998 to 2004; City Administrator of Airway Heights, Washington, from 1994 to 1998; and Assistant to the City Administrator of Cheney, Washington, from 1993 to 1994.

Mike holds a master’s in public administration from Eastern Washington University and a bachelor’s in history/political science from Gonzaga University.

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Steve Kil has 26 years of local government experience and currently serves as the Town Manager for the Town of St. John, Indiana, a position he has held since 2001. Steve previously served as Town Manager for the Town of Schererville, Indiana, from 1993 to 2000.Steve holds a bachelor’s in public administration from Indiana University and is a licensed parliamentarian.