Silt board members pared down a list of applicants for the position of Town Manager last Monday during a special meeting, from 14 to five, in order to fill the opening created last month when Silt Town Administrator Jeff Layman retired after nearly six years.

A press releases stated all seven trustees were present for the special meeting, which included an executive session in order to discuss specific individuals, to evaluate which of the candidates would best suit the town going into the future.

This preliminary assessment included only a review of the applicant’s cover letters and resumes. The session was led by Layman, who has stayed on in a consulting role, and attended by Silt Town Attorney Michael Sawyer.  

According to the press release, the following candidates were selected to move on to the next phase of the process. They are Lana Bryce, Sharon Jakubowski Wolz, James Mann, Guy Patterson, and Greg Sund.

Bryce lives in Gypsum, Colorado, and has served the town of Gypsum for the last 23 years in a variety of positions. Before promoting to Gypsum’s Community Development Director in 2018, she was a town planner for 12 years. Bryce worked in the building and public works departments prior to that. Bryce holds a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Colorado-Denver and a bachelor’s in public administration and human resources management from Ashford University. She enjoys horseback riding, camping, and gardening.

Jakubowski Wolz, currently living in Arizona, last served as the Interim City Administrator in Walsenburg, Colorado from October 2023 until this spring. Prior to that she was the Town Manager in Kearny, Arizona. During her career, she has worked as an executive personal assistant, homeschool administrator and teacher, college professor and chamber of commerce executive director. Wolz earned an MBA at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, a bachelor’s in international business from Cal State-Fullerton and a Certified Public Manager designation from Arizona State University. Among her strengths, Wolz lists fostering a culture of excellence, engaging community stakeholders, effective communication and adhering to servant leadership principles.

Mann of Castle Rock, Colorado, is currently serving as Silt’s Interim Town Administrator. Mann served as a contract Financial Consultant for the town in the analysis of the new water treatment plant project. Mann served as the Village Administrator for the Village of Slinger, Wisconsin for seven years in the 1990s before starting a career as a Municipal Advisor, providing services relating to the structure and sale of securities and assisting municipalities with respect to municipal financial products and the issuance of municipal securities. Mann worked in this capacity for 23 years for Ehlers and UMB Bank, leaving the industry as a Senior Vice President for Public Finance. Mann has a master’s in public administration from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a bachelor’s in public administration and political science from UW-Lacrosse. Mann likes to ski, mountain bike, hike, fly fish and hunt.

Patterson, of La Plata County, Colorado, has served in municipal, county, and special district government for more than 20 years. His last Town Manager posting was in Hudson, Colorado from 2018 to 2021. Prior to that he served in Red Cliff, Salida, Lake County, Timnath and De Beque. Patterson has also had an active consulting career helping towns and metro districts through his consulting company, Timberline Consulting, LLC. Patterson has a master’s in public administration from CU-Denver and a bachelor’s in history from the University of Northern Colorado. Patterson likes to mountain bike, hike, and ski in his spare time.

Sund, of Trinidad, Colorado, has most recently worked as an interim manager in Mt. Crested Butte, Telluride and Walsenburg. He was the City Manager in Trinidad from 2017 to 2019 and the Public Works Director in Hays, Kansas from 2015 to 2017. He is currently serving as a District Governor with Rotary International. Sund earned his master’s in public administration from the University of South Dakota and a Bachelor of Science at Black Hills State University.  He has also earned a Credentialed Manager certification through the International City/County Manager’s Association (ICMA). Sund writes that his experience with large capital projects would serve Silt well as it constructs its water treatment plant.  He is involved in Rotary and earned a Distinguished Toastmaster Award from Toastmaster’s International in 2014. 

According to the release, the Town of Silt will continue its process on May 6 and 7, holding a community “Meet and Greet” at 6:30 p.m. at Silt Town Center, followed by candidate interviews with the board of trustees, community stakeholders and department directors on May 7.

The board hopes a new Town Manager will be named in May and start work sometime in June or early July, the release stated.