KALAMAZOO, Mich. — City commissioners on Monday night moved forward with their preferred candidate to be Kalamazoo's next city manager.
City negotiators will start discussing contract terms with Malcolm Hankins to be the new administrative leader.
Currently working as assistant city manager in Des Moines, Iowa, Hankins has more than 35 years of experience in local government across municipalities in Iowa, Arizona, and Colorado, according to a biography published by the City of Kalamazoo.
A member of the International City/County Management Association, the Servant Leadership Institute, and the American Association of Code Enforcement Officials, Hankins is also working to get his doctorate in educational leadership. He also holds a Master of Arts in Ministry degree and served as Pastor of First Watch Ministries in Phoenix, AZ.
Hankins was one of four finalists that Kalamazoo neighbors and commissioners got to question a week ago during public interviews.
While commissioners made no firm timeline on how soon a deal with Hankins could be reached, they did anticipate needing to hold a special meeting before the end of October to ratify the terms of a contract offer.
