Cordova City Manager Alan Lanning will not have his contract renewed after it expires on Oct. 17, Mayor Clay Koplin has announced.
“The City would like to thank [Lanning] for his efforts and wish him well in his future endeavors,” wrote Koplin in a concise statement Tuesday, Aug. 27.
At an Aug. 23 meeting, the City Manager Assessment Committee discussed applicants, although no announcement regarding Lanning’s status had been made at that time. The 19 city manager hopefuls included Helen Howarth, owner of Fromagio’s Artisan Cheese, Kerin Kramer, former executive director for the Native Village of Eyak, and Ernest Weiss, natural resources director for the Aleutians East Borough.
Qualities considered by the committee included candidates’ longevity in previous jobs and personal connection to Alaskan communities. Lanning’s replacement has not been chosen, although Howarth, Kramer and Weiss are informally regarded as among the frontrunners.
When Lanning took office in 2016, he promised to diversify the town’s economy and to tackle illegal drug use. Prior to moving to Cordova, Lanning was city manager for Lake City, Minn. Lanning has also served as a city manager or administrator for various other communities, including Central City, Colo. and Steamboat Springs, Colo.
