BRUNSWICK – City Council said this week it is optimistic that a new city manager could be in place by the end of the year if the next phase of the interviewing process goes as planned.

Vice Mayor Patricia Hanek said this week that council is set to begin the second round of interviews on Tuesday, Nov. 29 after the top three candidates for the post visited city hall and met one-on-one with administrators Nov. 21.

In all, Hanek said, the city received 19 applications for the post, which has been vacant since the termination of former city manager Anthony Bales in June. Of those applications, many of the prospective candidates did not possess the qualifications required of the city manager as directed by the city’s charter and were eliminated early on in the process.

To date, council has interviewed its top four qualified applicants. Three of those candidates remain in the running after one candidate was eliminated from the pool last week, Hanek said.

Those candidates include:

• Patrick McNamara, a Brunswick resident who served as city service director from 2011 to 2015 and as a member of city council from 2005 to 2010. He is currently employed with the Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council;

• Derek Feuerstein, of Lorain, who has served as deputy safety/service director and chief of staff for the city of Lorain since 2012; and

• Salvatore Talarico, of Parma, who is the interim city manager and finance director for the city of Oberlin.

Hanek said Jonathan Greever, of Fenton, Mo., dropped out of the race last week after accepting a new position. Greever has served as the chief administrative officer and director of administration for the city of Shrewsbury, Mo. for six years.

Police Chief Carl DeForest has served as acting city manager since Bales was fired June 27 following a negative performance evaluation that noted poor leadership, management and communication skills. His contract was terminated by the city Aug. 11.

Bales had served as city manager since June 2014.

Hanek said that once the final round of interviews is conducted next week, council hopes to make an appointment shortly thereafter.

The salary range for the position is $110,000 to $125,000 a year.