The Centralia City Council will consider the appointment of Financial Services Consultant Forrest Langenfeld as Interim City Manager on Monday night.
The action is on the agenda after the council will consider a resolution authorizing and approving a separation agreement for City Manager Lowell Crow. Crow announced his retirement last week after the city council held a few closed sessions to apparently discuss his continued employment.
The financial details of Crow’s separation agreement and Langenfelt’s employment agreement are both contained in separate exhibits from the resolutions on the council agenda and have not yet been made public.
Langenfeld has had a long career in banking and economic development with one of his first jobs being Centralia’s Community Development Director.
“I’m a lifelong Centralian. I want to help the city through this period of time until they can find a permanent city manager and just do my best to work with all the good experienced folks up at city hall, all the department heads, and many city officials who are native Centralians who are doing a great job helping their hometown.”
Langenfeld says he also looks forward to doing some economic development work during his tenure.
“When your lifelong passion is economic development, that will be a focus as I try to help the city. I have been doing that quite a bit in my consulting business. I have a couple of pretty sizeable projects I’m working on in Centralia right now. I’m very excited about the new assistant city manager slash economic development person who has just come onboard and looking forward to work with him and the city council and mayor in moving the town forward economically.”
Langenfeld says he has no interest in the position on a permanent basis but is prepared to work four or five months during the city manager selection process.
Mayor Herb Williams and city council members have not said anything publically about what led to the apparent decision to want to separate from Crow. He just arrived as city manager in May of last year after prior serving as City Manager in Monmouth and Freeport following a long career in the Navy.
The council meeting will be held at six Monday night at Centralia City Hall. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, it will be held via Zoom meeting.
Photo: Forrest Langenfeld Linked In photo.
