The five finalists for the City Manager position have been announced, and without knowing anything about them other than their names and current locations, I’m already cheering for James Patrick, who is the current City Manager in Kalispell.
The candidates are James H. Patrick, the city manager of Kalispell; Michael L. Ashcraft, deputy city manager in Olathe, Kans.; Gregory Thomas Doyon, city manager of Franklin, N.H.; Michael L. Stampfler, a consultant and former city manager of Casselberry, Fla., and Portage, Mich.; and Mark A. Winson, vice president of Lake Superior College in Duluth, Minn., and former city of Duluth chief administrative officer
Why am I cheering for Patrick? Because he’s here in Montana! I know, that isn’t enough to qualify for the job – but it’s a good start 
And besides, he’s certified by the ICMA (so are two of the other candidates).
I am cheering for Mark A Winson. I was born and raised in Duluth MN and know Mark personal. Great thinker, fresh ideas and a go geter kind of guy and I have to say moving from Duluth MN to Great Falls MT the two places have many similarities and I would love to see some of the growth that Duluth has seen of the years!