Paducah Hosts City Manager Finalists Meet & Greet

The City of Paducah held a reception Monday evening at the Julian Carroll Convention Center to meet and greet the three finalists for the position of Paducah city manager. 

On Tuesday the candidates are also scheduled to have face-to-face interviews with the Board of Commissioners, tour the city, and meet with department directors.

Mayor Brandi Harless said, "I am proud of how quickly this has gone in comparision to how it could have gone." Harless added, "I'm excited to get to know them a little bit better."

The finalists to be the new city manager of Paducah are: 

James (Jim) Arndt has more than 14 years of local government experience and spent an additional six years as a police officer and three years serving in the United States Army. He currently serves the City of Effingham, Illinois, where he has worked as their City Administrator for the past eight years.  He has also been the Administrator for the City of St. Clair, Missouri and the Village of Union City, Ohio.  Arndt holds a Master’s Degree in Political Science and a Bachelor’s Degree in General Studies, both from Eastern Illinois University, and is an International City/County Management Association (ICMA) Credentialed Manager.   

James (Jim) Halasz has been the County Administrator for Halifax County, Virginia for the past six years, and before that he spent twelve years serving as the Deputy City Manager for the City of Staunton, Virginia. In total he has more than 28 years of local government experience in addition to four years of experience working for Christian Brothers University in Memphis, Tennessee. Halasz holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Michigan State University and a Bachelor’s Degree from Siena Heights College.  

Cole O’Donnell has more than 20 years of local government experience. He most recently served the City of Dixon, Illinois as City Manager.  Before that, he was the City Administrator for the City of East Moline, Illinois for five years and the City Administrator for the City of Algona, Iowa for almost 12 years. O’Donnell is a graduate of Iowa State University and holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration and a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. He also is an ICMA Credentialed Manager.  

Mayor Harless added she hopes a decision can be made very soon.