Jon Johnson File Photo/Gila Herald: The city of Safford has narrowed its candidate list for assistant city manager to four applicants.
Two of the four finalists are local candidates
Contributed Article/Courtesy City of Safford
SAFFORD – The City of Safford narrowed the search for the next Assistant City Manager to four highly qualified candidates.
The City selected SGR to assist in conducting the extensive search that resulted in an impressive candidate pool. SGR is an executive recruitment firm based in Texas, specializing in recruiting, assessing, and developing innovative, collaborative, and authentic leaders for local governments. SGR’s proprietary recruitment and vetting process produced an incredibly strong field of candidates. The City received 38 applications from candidates in 16 states and two countries.
The finalists
Dennis Durham has served in local government for nearly 30 years and most recently served for one year as the City Manager for the City of Grandville, MI. Previously he served as the City Administrator for Windsor Heights, Iowa, the City Manager for Carlton, Oregon, the City Manager for Parchment, Michigan, the Deputy City Manager for Kalamazoo, Michigan, and the Assistant City Manager and Assistant to the City Manager for Portage, Michigan.
Dennis has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. He’s an active member of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) and he participated in ICMA’s International Resource Cities Program partnering with cities in Bulgaria to advise local government representatives on democratic processes, economic development, and citizen participation.
Eric Bejarano currently serves as the Director of the Small Business Development Center at Eastern Arizona College since August 2022. Before that, he was the Business/Area Manager for Air Methods in Southern and Central Arizona and Western New Mexico for eight years.
He has served as an Associate Faculty for the University of Phoenix in Tucson and as an Independent Instructor for Tucson Medical Center/GEICO in Tucson. Eric is an Independent Instructor for the Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, teaching child passenger safety courses in the Gila Valley. Eric retired as a Motorcycle Police Officer from the Tucson Police Department in 2014.
Before his law enforcement career, Eric served in the United States Marine Corps for six years as a Telecommunications Center Watch Supervisor (Sgt/E-5). He holds a master’s degree in counseling / human relations and a bachelor’s degree in justice systems policy and planning from the Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, AZ. He is also a Safford Lion and a member of the Safford Rotary Club. Additionally, Eric serves on the boards for the Graham County Chamber of Commerce and the United Way of Graham and Greenlee Counties.
Pat Oman has more than 22 years in local government and is most recently serving as the County Administrator for Becker County in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota since 2021. Before this, he was the County Administrator for Mille Lacs County in Milaca, Minnesota, and the City Administrator for the City of Moose Lake, Minnesota. Pat also served as the Director of Economic Development for Carlton County, Minnesota, the Economic Development Director for East Central Regional Development Commission in Mora, Minnesota, and the Executive Director for Chippewa County Economic Development Corporation.
He began his career as a Corporate Manager/Product Development Engineer for Honeywell International in Minnetonka, Minnesota. Pat holds a master’s degree in both business administration and manufacturing systems from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, and a bachelor’s degree in both biology and history from the University of Minnesota in Duluth, Minnesota.
Jaime Embick has over a decade of experience in Council/Manager municipal government and she’s currently serving as the Planning and Community Development Director for the City of Safford. Before this, she served in several positions with the Town of Silver City, New Mexico as the Community Development Director, Planner/Zoning Administrator, and Code Enforcement Officer.
Jaime has a master’s degree in criminal justice/policing, chemical dependency, and history, and a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the Western New Mexico University in Silver City, New Mexico. She earned an AZED Pro Certification from the Arizona Association for Economic Development, and she also recently completed the Certified Public Manager Certification.
The finalists will participate in an interview process in Safford on June 19.
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