The Crookston City Council has released the list of the four finalists for the City Administrator position. They are inviting these four candidates to Crookston to meet the Heads of each Department, take part in a community meet and greet, and interview individually. The four candidates are:
Nickalas Blackwell: currently works for the City of Grand Forks, North Dakota, where he has been employed for over seven years. He first worked in the role as a Heavy Equipment Operator for three years and then transitioned to the role of Public Works Facilities Coordinator, where he has been in the role for over four years. Mr. Blackwell is also a member of the North Dakota Army National Guard, where he has been serving since 2013. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Rasmussen University and is currently pursuing his master’s degree in Business Administration.
Matt Lower: currently serves as the Planning Group Leader for Interstate Engineering in Fargo, North Dakota, where he has been in the role since October of 2019. Prior to this, he served as the Community Development Director for the City of Horace, North Dakota, for nine months, as a Senior Planner for the Kalispel Tribe of Indians in Usk, Washington, for nearly two years, and as a Planning Assistant for the City of Spokane, Washington, for almost one year. Mr. Lower holds a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from the University at Buffalo and a master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Washington University.
Willie Morales: is currently employed as the City Administrator for the City of Appleton, Minnesota, where he has been in the role for three years. Prior to this, he served as the Town Administrator for the Town of Northfield, Massachusetts, for one year, as the Town Administrator for the Town of Monterey & Sandisfield, Massachusetts, for one year, and as a City Management Intern for the City of Hudson, Iowa, for two years. Mr. Morales holds a bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies and a master’s degree in Public Policy from the University of Northern Iowa. He holds a master’s degree in Accounting from Merrimack College, Massachusetts.
Carrie Smith: has been employed with the Cass County Human Service Zone since 1993, where she has served in multiple roles – Child Protection Assessment Worker (1993-2013), Case Manager (2013-2015), Supervisor (2015-current). She was also an Elected City Council Member for the City of Glyndon, Minnesota, for eight years, and she served as a Cass County Sheriff’s Deputy for three years. Ms. Smith holds a bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Moorhead State University and a master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of North Dakota.
All four candidates will visit Crookston for a Community Meet & Greet and meet the Heads of each Department of City Hall before being interviewed on Tuesday, May 3, to give them a chance to see Crookston in its entirety and at its most active times. The City Council will hold their next meeting on Monday, April 11, at 7:00 p.m. inside the City Hall Council Chambers.
