What you need to know:
- The Palmer City Council has selected former Anchorage Deputy Manager Kolby Hickel Zerkel as the new Palmer city manager, with a salary of $170,000 plus relocation expenses. She will start in late April.
- Zerkel originally applied last year, but the job was given to Stephen Jellie, who resigned after 53 days.
- A lifelong Alaskan, Zerkel previously worked as a deputy manager in Anchorage and currently serves as director of state operations for Sen. Dan Sullivan. She plans to move to Palmer with her family by summer.
PALMER – The Palmer City Council will hire former Anchorage deputy manager Kolby Hickel Zerkel as the new city manager, officials announced at a council meeting Tuesday.
Zerkel will start the job in late April, council members said during the meeting. She has agreed to a salary of $170,000, plus relocation expenses to cover the cost of moving to the city, they said in an interview.
Zerkel first applied and interviewed for the job early last year when it was initially posted after longtime City Manager John Moosey announced his retirement. That search was halted and then restarted due to “potential” open meeting violation during closed-door deliberations over finalists for the job. She then reapplied over the summer before the position was ultimately given to former City Manager Stephen Jellie. His employment contract called for a $150,000 annual salary…