MERRILL, WI (WSAU) — Three candidates will be interviewed this evening for the City of Merrill’s Fire Chief position.
“We had 13 applicants for the position, and we had four people that were going to be interviewed tonight, one of them has dropped out as of Monday. So we will be doing three interviews tonight with those deemed to be the best fit for the position,” said City Administrator David Johnson.
Additionally, a second internal candidate submitted an application however didn’t make the final cut. The job was published to a national board that specializes in city jobs, Johnson says he received applications from as far away as Washington State.
He said the depth of the candidate pool speaks well about the city, which has a career fire department. “We have a paid, professional department, a career department, and we are extremely happy to have that.” He adds that many cities the size of Merrill rely on volunteer departments.
Johnson says he expects the interviews to last around an hour each, with each candidate answering a list of about 30 questions. An offer may be extended at the end of the meeting, but Johnson says the committee may also choose to wait to digest the data before offering the position.
The position has been open since early March when Dave Savone abruptly retired following a vacation. News 9 reported back on March 8th that Savone and Johnson had differing views on how to treat employees. Savone had served the Merrill department for over five years, and according to News 9 no formal complaints had ever been filed against him.
Battalion Chief Scott Krause has been named the interim chief until a new permanent chief is found.