Public Radio for Alaska's Bristol Bay
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Chris Hladick, former Region 10 EPA administrator, to step in as Dillingham’s interim city manager

Liz Ruskin/Alaska Public Media

The Dillingham City Council voted unanimously to hire former city manager Chris Hladick for the temporary position at a special meeting on Monday.

The former Region 10 administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency has been chosen to serve as Dillingham’s new interim city manager.

The Dillingham City Council voted unanimously to hire former city manager Chris Hladick for the temporary position at a special meeting on Monday.

Hladick started his career in city management in Galena.

Hladick worked as the Dillingham city manager for eight years, from 1994-2001. During that time, he draftedthe city’s first strategic plan and oversaw design and construction of the landfill.

Since then, he also served as the city manager for Unalaska and as Alaska’s commissioner of Commerce, Community and Economic Development. He was also the regional EPA administrator, where he oversaw the agency’s work in Alaska, Washington, Oregon and Idaho, as well as 271 Tribal nations. That also placed him at the political epicenter of the debate around the proposed Pebble Mine.

Mayor Alice Ruby said Hladick’s previous experience in the community is a big benefit.

“I think that was one of the considerations the council had, was someone who already has some history with the city’s whole structure -- our tax structure, our budgeting, our finances, our challenges and capitol projects. It just helps with a smooth transition,” she said.

Dillingham’s city manager position has been open since December, when the former city manager Tod Larson resigned. But the city has had a hard time finding a replacement for the position, which pays upwards of $130,000 a year.

“Probably due to COVID," Ruby said. "City manager candidates are not really moving around much right now. So this just provides the city with an opportunity for some consistent management while we keep looking.”

Hladick will arrive in Dillingham at the beginning of May. His first day on the job is May 10, and his contract ends in November.

Contact the author at izzy@kdlg.org or 907-842-2200.

Izzy Ross is the news director at KDLG, the NPR member station in Dillingham. She reports, edits, and hosts stories from around the Bristol Bay region, and collaborates with other radio stations across the state.
Related Content