Michael Harmon expected to become next city manager

Blaine City Council is expected to approve the employment contract of Michael Harmon as the next city manager. Harmon is the chief operating officer of an electric utility provider in Wyoming and former city administrator of Spearfish, South Dakota.

Harmon’s employment contract is on the agenda for the council meeting on Monday, December 12. Council interviewed four final candidates last week and subsequently evaluated them in a December 1 executive session. If council approves Harmon’s contract, he is expected to start the job on January 16, 2023.

Harmon has worked as chief operating officer of High Plains Power in Riverton, Wyoming since July 2021, according to his resume. He worked as city administrator of Spearfish, South Dakota, which has over 12,300 people, from 2017 to 2021. As Spearfish’s city administrator, Harmon led 125 full-time staff members, oversaw a $42 million operation budget and improved water infrastructure needs. Before that, Harmon was the city administrator of Fairfield, Iowa, a city of 9,600 people, for two years.

Harmon earned his bachelor of arts in economics from the University of Northern Iowa and earned his master of public administration from the University of South Dakota.

“Having eleven years of leadership experience – eight as a city administrator – as well as law enforcement experience and electric utility experience, I am uniquely qualified to be Blaine’s next city manager,” Harmon wrote in his cover letter to the city.

Per the pending contract, Harmon is slated to earn $170,000 annually with 26 vacation days and up to $15,000 in moving expenses.

Blaine’s city manager position was left vacant when Michael Jones resigned in June after four years in the position. Dave Wilbrecht, who was city manager before Jones, has been serving as interim manager.

Harmon could not immediately be reached for comment.