Michigan Man Tapped to be Kodiak Borough Manager

Brianna Gibbs/KMXT
The Kodiak Island Borough will welcome a new face in the coming months. The borough plans to hire Erick Strahl as borough manager. Former Manager Rick Gifford left sometime in June and Bud Cassidy has been filling the position since then. Mayor Jerome Selby said the hiring process took multiple months because the borough was trying to be as thorough as possible.
“You know when you do that it takes a little more time. And we had quite a few applicants to start with so it took us a little while to widdle them down to the final six that we brought for the interviews," Selby said. "And once we got to that point we also had to do the background checks and stuff that you do anymore for employment. Hiring folks is not as simple as it used to be by far. So it just takes some time.”

Strahl’s contract needs to be approved by the Kodiak Island Borough Assembly, and is on the agenda for discussion during tonight’s work session. Strahl is currently a city manager in Michigan and Selby said he should begin his work with the Kodiak borough sometime after the new year. He said Bud Cassidy will most likely continue to serve as acting manager until that time.