The City of McCall has a new city manager.
Anette Spickard left the post earlier this year after about six years for a similar job in Arizona. The city announced it will hire Forest Atkinson to fill the position.
Atkinson has worked for the US State Department for the last 20 years, most recently serving at the US Embassy in Peru, according to his LinkedIn profile. Early in his career, he served for a short time as an urban planner for the San Francisco County Transportation Authority. He is a graduate of University of California Berkeley with a master’s degree in urban and regional planning.
“We are excited to welcome Forest Atkinson as our new city manager,” McCall Mayor Bob Giles said. “His extensive experience and dedication to public service make him the ideal choice to lead McCall into a prosperous future. We are confident that he will continue to build on the strengths of our community while addressing the challenges ahead.”
Atkinson will be paid $170,000 for the full-time role, the city said in a news release. The city said it took in feedback from the public and council in making the decision.
Atkinson’s role in McCall will include supervising daily city operations and advising the city council. McCall has a weak mayor/city manager form of government. Unlike cities like Meridian or Boise, the mayor is a member of the council and ceremonial leader, while the city manager is a non-elected staff member who runs the city’s day-to-day operations.
McCall resident and former Capital City Development Corp. executive director Phil Kushlan has been filling the role on a temporary basis since Spickard left earlier this year.
