Wichita city staff will begin negotiations with Dennis Marstall for the city manager job.
A divided City Council voted Tuesday to begin hiring talks with Marstall, a county administrator for Lancaster County, South Carolina.
Council members Brandon Johnson and Mike Hoheisel voted against starting contract negotiations with Marstall.
Johnson said he has deep concerns about the hiring process and urged his council colleagues to stop the process and restart their search for a new city manager. Hoheisel voted without offering comment.
Johnson said he thought there may have been “undue influence by elected officials on the process and, potentially, the selection committee.” He added that he believes there were “significant differences between one group versus the others” in the scoring of candidates.
“I honestly believe that we should stop the process now and clearly state the expectations that the council was looking for — all of them — and go back out on search,” Johnson said.
“I believe that when that occurs, all elected members of this body should abide by what was outlined and refrain from speaking with any member of the selection committee until they have completed their process.”
Johnson said his reservations were “more about the process than the specific finalists.”
Along with Marstall, the council was considering the application of Mark Freitag. Freitag is a former city manager for Westminster, Colorado, and former chief executive officer of the U.S. Army Garrison in Fort Hood, Texas.
“Mr. Freitag is a quality individual,” Johnson said. “I’m grateful for his service to our nation, but I do not feel this is the best place for his leadership. Mr. Marstall is a quality individual as well. I share a similar sentiment.”
Mayor Lily Wu said the council had reached a “consensus” and would be moving forward with the job offer to Marstall.
“I’m hopeful that the negotiations will be successful so that the city of Wichita can have a new chapter beginning next year with a new city manager,” Wu said.
As the county administrator of Lancaster County, Marstall oversees a region that includes parts of the Charlotte, North Carolina, metropolitan area.
Marstall grew up in Manhattan, Kansas, and served as the city's assistant city manager from 2019 to 2021. He also spent time as the vice president of community investment and impact for United Way of Central Carolinas.
During a candidate forum at Botanica last week, Marstall said he felt his career matched Wichita’s current moment.
“My background in city, county and nonprofit (work) I think is a good fit for where Wichita is right now,” Marstall said.
Wu said earlier this month that the council was committed to making a decision before the Thanksgiving holiday. City staff will spend the next week negotiating with Marstall and plan to bring a hiring package to the council on Dec. 2 for a final vote.
The manager position was initially advertised with a salary range between $250,000 and $325,000.
The council spent much of the past two weeks getting to know the finalists — a group that originally included Wichita assistant city manager Donte Martin. Martin, a 26-year Wichita employee, withdrew his candidacy for the role Friday.
He sent an email to the city’s hiring consultant, CPS HR Consulting, that said his decision came “after careful thought and reflection.” He did not specify his reason for withdrawing.
Martin’s email said he is looking “forward to working with the next City Manager and continuing to serve the community in my current role.”
He did not respond to a KMUW request for comment.
The announcement caps a months-long search for a city manager. In April, city manager Robert Layton announced his decision to retire at the end of the year.
Layton has served as Wichita’s city manager for nearly 17 years.
The City Council convened a search committee in June. In August, the council signed a $30,000 contract with CPS HR Consulting to lead the search, vet candidates and work alongside the committee.
The consulting firm received 89 applications for the role and narrowed the candidate pool to a group of 17. The search committee interviewed the 17 semi-finalists before settling on its three finalist recommendations for the council.
