UPDATED 10 a.m. | Bloomington City Manager David Hales is one of five finalists for a similar position in Topeka, Kansas.
Hales and the other four finalists will be in Topeka for interviews on July 21-22, according to a statement issued by Topeka on Friday.
Strategic Government Resources, a local government executive search firm based in Texas, conducted the nationwide search, with the city receiving 28 applications. The other four finalists include Topeka's interim city manager, Doug Gerber.
Hales did not return a request for comment. He was out of the office.
Hales' current contract with the city runs through July 2018. It's the shortest contract in Hales' history with the city, outside of a short contract when he was hired in 2008.
Earlier this year, Hales was a finalist for the city administrator job in Racine, Wis. He later took himself out of the running for that position. He cited his short contract in a statement at that time.
"When certain opportunities present themselves, it is worth investigating, especially since I have an employment contract that expires in 16 months," Hales said in March 2017. "Nonetheless, I am committed to the City of Bloomington and the duties of the City Manager. Bloomington remains the right fit for me."
Hales has served as Bloomington's city manager since 2008. When he came to Bloomington, Hales and elected officials cited his financial experience as a needed skill to stabilize a budget under stress. Since then, the city has gone through significant layoffs, rebuilt fund reserves, increased funding for streets and retirement funds, and gone through an extensive planning process.
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