Carpenter one of two finalists for city admin. job

For the second time in three years, Jeff Carpenter is making a bid to become the city administrator in Tracy.

Carpenter, the leader of the Tracy EDA under the title Community Development Director, is one of two finalists for the Tracy city administrator position — a post that has been vacant since the resignation of Erik Hansen in May.

Carpenter unsuccessfully threw his hat into the city administrator ring when the Tracy City Council opted to hire Hansen in 2020. He also was recently a finalist for the same position in Tyler.

Carpenter, who lives in Lake Benton, was hired as the EDA director in Tracy in October 2017. Before that, he worked for Schwan’s for a total of 31 years — 24 in a management position. He earned a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree from Southwest Minnesota State University.

The other finalist for Tracy’s city administrator position is Richard Baker, who currently serves as the development services coordinator for the City of Plainview, a position he has held since Jan. 18, 2022.

See more in this week’s paper!