By PHYLLIS ZORN

Staff writer

Marion City Council members talked Monday with a potential candidate for interim city administrator.

Mark McAnarney, former city manager of Emporia, could fill the void left by the resignation Nov. 15 of Brogan Jones.

McAnarney also was interim city administrator of Neodesha before Jones took over there.

Council member Zach Collett said he worked with Wichita State University to identify potential interim administrators.

McAnarney told council members he had an undergraduate degree in history and education from Washburn University and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Kansas.

His wife, Amy McAnarney, is principal of Free State High School in Lawrence, where the couple live.

Mayor Mike Powers told council members he’d had several conversations with McAnarney.

“I think our staff needs someone more than me that they can go to,” Powers said.

He asked council members whether they had any questions for McAnarney.

Most said they did not.

Powers’ grandson attends the school where Amy McAnarney is principal. He asked his son to find out what his grandson thought of the principal.

His son reported the principal was “mean,” but Powers indicated he favored most of the “mean” positions she took.

Powers asked council members for permission to try to negotiate an employment agreement.

Although no vote was taken, consensus was to have Powers negotiate.

McAnarney said conversation would revolve around Marion’s requirements and time commitment needed. He doesn’t want to be in Marion five days a week.

“I’m just looking for something part-time,” he said. “We’re looking at it and seeing if it works for both parties.”

“I’m hoping for us to be able to start,” Powers said. “We’ll need to establish a time when he’ll be here and how much time he will be able to be here.”

New housing

Council members signed an agreement Monday to allow Lange Real Estate of Wichita, to build and market four houses in an area of Coble St. that an earlier construction company abandoned.

Real estate agent Kristen Wewe spoke to council members two weeks ago about using a Kansas Housing Resources Corp. program that would provide $40,000 in down payments for each of the houses. The program is designed for middle-income families.

Wewe said the houses would sell for about $250,000.

In other business, council members discussed zoning changes and vacation of streets and alleys if the city and Kansas Power Pool proceed with constructing a solar array in Marion. They also presented librarian Janet Marler and library staff a proclamation for growing the library from a single room in city hall to “Best Library in Kansas for counties under 5,000.”