Chandler City Hall
By Paulina Pineda | Arizona Republic
Chandler narrowed a pool of 34 applicants to four finalists for the city’s top executive role.
Chandler announced four city manager finalists who residents will have a chance to hear from in person in mid-July.
The finalists include a mix of former Phoenix-area city executives, the city’s interim city manager and candidates from out of state.
They are:
Milton Dohoney Jr., who has 36 years of municipal work experience. He last served seven years as assistant city manager and chief operating officer in Phoenix. Prior to his time in the Valley, he was the city manager in Cincinnati and spent 20 years in government in Kentucky.
Sarah Hensley, who was appointed in February as interim city manager in Denton, Texas, a city of about 136,200 in the Dallas area, where she has worked since 2019. She has more than 20 years of experience leading city departments, primarily parks and recreation, including in Phoenix.
Tom Hutka, who has served as public works director for 11 years in Broward County, Florida, a county of nearly 2 million on Florida’s Atlantic coast. He has experience serving as a top executive in smaller cities and counties in Florida, Michigan, Minnesota and Ohio.
Josh Wright, who has served as Chandler’s interim city manager since March, and was hired as assistant city manager in 2017. He was town manager in Wickenburg for five years and worked in Marana before that as an assistant to the town manager and director of strategic initiatives.
Chandler, a city of some 260,000 people southeast of Phoenix, launched a national search after City Manager Marsha Reed retired in March after nearly eight years with the city and almost five as its top leader.
The council received 34 applications and narrowed the pool in several closed-door sessions.
