Seward will have a new, permanent city manager come May 1.
On Wednesday, Seward City Council approved a three-year contract with Scott Mezaros, former town manager of Meeker, Colorado, with a salary of $140,000 plus benefits. His official start date is May 1.
Meszaros was offered the job, filling a vacancy that’s been open since August 2018 when former City Manager Jim Hunt resigned. The role was filled with interim city managers, including Jeff Bridges, who served in the role for six months and helped the city search for a permanent city manager. Bridges moved back east in March. Since Bridges left, Seward Harbormaster Norm Regis has acted as interim city manager.
Initially, the permanent job was offered to Erin Reinders of Unalaska. After being offered the job in Seward on April 1, she was also offered and later accepted the city manager position in Unalaska. She turned down the Seward position April 15.
Reinders was the unanimous choice, but the council highlighted that it had been a tough decision between the two final candidates, Reinders and Mezaros.
“The only thing that catapulted her over him, in my head, is that she has Alaska experience,” said Seward Council Member Suzi Towsley at a council meeting Monday. “We can get Scott up to speed. It’s not rocket science, just Alaska politics.”
Mezaros was the town manager of Meeker from 2012 to 2018. Meeker, Colorado, is about 3.5 square miles and has a population of just under 2,500. According to a 2018 Meeker meeting minutes, he submitted his resignation in Nov. 2018.
