Amid pointed public comment and a call from some residents to delay action, the Maplewood City Council voted 5-1 Tuesday to hire a new city manager.
Amber Withycombe, who has no prior work experience in city management, said she is set to start Jan. 4.
Withycombe,聽director of donor communications at Washington University聽has been a contributor to the campaigns of Mayor Nikylan Knapper.
Withycombe鈥檚 partner, Joshua Kryah, had been Knapper鈥檚 campaign manager; the position now is held by Shevaun McNaughton.
After Tuesday鈥檚 meeting, Knapper said the change in the campaign organization was made a week ago, about a week after media reports began focusing on the city manager situation.
Withycombe鈥檚 salary has not been determined; Councilman Shawn Faulkingham, who serves as deputy mayor, said the city still is negotiating the salary.
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The hiring comes in the wake of resident complaints that Knapper and most members of the city council refused to comment about the process used to select the candidates.
About 75 people attended the council meeting, with 11 of the 13 speakers expressing concerns about hiring Withycombe.
Some also said Withycombe鈥檚 position as a leading candidate聽鈥 without having posted the job and instead opting for council recommendations聽鈥 implied favoritism.
Knapper abstained from voting on Withycombe鈥檚 appointment; Councilwoman Chasity Maddox cast the only vote against hiring her.
Withycombe鈥檚 LinkedIn listing, going back to 1995, shows that she has never worked in city management and has never been employed by a municipality. She now is working toward a master鈥檚 degree in public administration, the listing notes.
After the meeting, Withycombe discounted her lack of city management experience as not being 鈥渁nything that needs to be overcome.鈥
She then pointed to her past employment with several tax-supported institutions. Also, she is president of the Maplewood-Richmond Heights school board and sits on the city鈥檚 Plan and Zoning Commission.
The need for a new city manager stems back to late September, when Michael Reese abruptly ankled the position without comment.
On Oct. 3, the city paid Reese $131,000 as part of a separation agreement. Several sources say Reese鈥檚 departure stemmed from conflicts with Knapper.
Knapper said she was confident that Withycombe would be 鈥渁n excellent person for our city.鈥