Mora City Council interviews internal candidate Yoder for city administrator position

The Mora City Council held an initial interview with an internal candidate for city administrator at Tuesday's meeting.

Mandi Yoder, the city's Human Resources director, was the lone internal applicant for the vacancy.

Mora's employee labor relations committee met on Oct. 29, and reached the consensus to recruit from within and invest in the city's employees rather than seeking a contracted administrator or hiring a recruiting firm.

"We're all aware that Mandi has been doing some of this job right now, and has in the past done some of this job under previous city administrators as well, in interim periods," said mayor Jake Mathison.

Yoder said capital improvement planning and budget and finance would be the areas she'd prioritize training in, if selected to the position.

If Yoder were to be hired as city administrator, she said she'd recommend the city hiring an administrative assistant to serve essentially as an HR specialist.

Yoder explained that as city administrator, her goal would be to implement regular training for supervisors.

"I'm a firm believer in servant leadership, in regards to, like, 'I'm here to help you all do well, and do better, and to get you equipped to be the best that you can be," Yoder said.

Yoder also said setting an expectation level for standards and conduct of city staff is important, as both a leader and a Mora taxpayer.

"I have a level of expectation as a resident to what I think that our leaders and employees should maintain," she said.

Yoder also stressed the importance of following and enforcing the city's personnel policy, and said she'd be willing to hold employees accountable if they're not following the chain of command when Mathison posed the question.

Mathison explained his preference for hiring a city administrator internally instead of going out for a search.

"You're not just investing in a long-term employee, you're investing in someone who has a vested interest in this community, who lives here," he said.

Mathison added that Yoder has a bevy of experiences working for the city of Mora.

"I can say from experience, I don't think there's anything in this building that Mandi hasn't done," he said. " ... Mandi may have far more experience than any potential city administrator options we have."

Council member Shane Knutson shared concerns about city staff continuing to be spread thin due to an internal promotion.

"We run a fairly lean organization as it is," he said.

Mathison said it's a "grim environment" for hiring an external city administrator.

Yoder explained that, on average, a city administrator remains in the position for three to five years.

"If I'm going to switch, I want it to work," Yoder said. "I don't want my efforts and sacrifices to be for nothing."

The council decided to schedule a special meeting at 5:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 25, for a follow-up interview. Council member Sam Pioske was absent from Tuesday's meeting.

After reaching a separation agreement with previous city administrator Glenn Anderson in June of 2024, Mora moved forward with a three-pronged approach to the administrator position, with Kohlgraf, City Clerk Natasha Segelstrom, and Hippen-Koch sharing administrative duties.

Public utilities general manager Joe Kohlgraf has been serving as city administrator in a temporary capacity after Mora accepted the resignation of treasurer Charles Hippen-Koch at a special meeting on Oct. 14.