City Manager Candidates Meet & Greet

The three men who are finalists to be Salina’s next City Manager were all in town Monday to tour the community, and meet the public. The finalists include Darrin Tangeman of Orleans, Massachusetts, Michael Tremblay of Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, and Jacob Wood of Salina.

After touring the town, all three attended a two-hour meet and greet at the Watson Room inside the Stiefel Theatre. A large crowd came and went during the event.

Tangeman has over 11 years of executive local government experience, serving as Chief Administrative Officer, City Manager, and Town Manager for municipalities in Massachusetts and Colorado. He told KSAL News he was impressed about all of the activity going on in Salina. “It’s an incrdible time in Salina’s history”, he said.

Before Tangeman began his local government career, he served as a United States Army Special Forces Officer in the revered Green Berets for 11 years. Darrin has a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Kansas, a Master of Science in Defense Analysis from the Naval Postgraduate School, a Master of Public Administration from the University of Colorado, and a third Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Kansas. He also has successfully completed the Harvard University Senior Executive in State and Local Government Program.

Tremblay has served in the United States Army since 1995. His more recent assignments have been the CEO of Talent Management for the 1st Brigade as Commander, Chief of Staff at Fort Benning, and as Garrison Commander, which is the equivalent as a City Manager, at USAG located in South Korea. He told KSAL News he was impressed by the growth going on in Salina, “that coupled on with a fantastic downtown are the right building blocks for a great community.”

Tremblay has two master’s degrees. The first is a Master of Science in National Security Strategy from the National War College. The second is a Master of Science in Administration/Organizational Leadership from Central Michigan University.

Wood is the current interim Salina City Manager. He has over 13 years of executive local government experience, serving as an Assistant City Manager, Deputy City Manager, City Administrator, and Interim City Manager with multiple municipalities in Kansas. He told KSAL News there are several things that set Salina apart from other communities, notable multiple private-public partnerships. He added “they way work together also sets us apart”.

Wood has also served as a Logistics Officer with the United States Army Reserve for 19 years. Jacob has a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Public Administration from Kansas State University. Jacob has also been an active member of the Kansas Association of City/County Managers since 2009, and the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) since 2008, where he has earned the ICMA-Credentialed Manager status.

On Tuesday the finalists will have closed interviews with the Salina City Commission.

The Salina City Manager position came open at the end of 2024, when Mike Schrage resigned at the December 23rd meeting to take a similar position in Warrensburg, Missouri.