Assistant city manager Rudy Espiritu is temporarily filling the position of city manager and hopes to be a candidate for the full-time city manager position following Mark Biernacki’s Friday retirement.

Mayor John Rey said he and Finucane will work together to select a personnel search firm which will define the qualifications for city manager and secure a field of candidates for the position.

Rey said the position of city manager could be compared to the position of a CEO—it’s the manager’s duty to make sure day-to-day city life runs smoothly—and there are certain qualities he hopes to see.

“We need someone who understands municipal government and finance,” Rey said. “It would be ideal for them to have experience with a similar community to DeKalb in terms of diversity and population.”

Finucane said he sees these same qualities in Espiritu.

“I’ve seen him assist Mark Biernacki with a number of city issues that have come forth to council,” Finucane said. “He’s a great choice for interim city manager and I look forward to working with him in the coming months.”

Espiritu said the mayor, City Council and the city manager all work together often.

“The mayor and the City Council decide on the policies for the city and it’s up to the city manager to implement that policy,” Espiritu said. “The manager and the mayor have to work hand in hand to decide how to approach things with the city council and how things should be handled policy-wise.”

Rey said Biernacki managed the city well.

“Mark is very competent in knowledge of municipal government of the city of DeKalb,” Rey said. “He truly is a diplomat in carrying out policy in the day-to-day operations of the city.”

Espiritu said as interim city manager, his main duty is to direct the day-to-day operations of the city and serve as the director of administrative services. These services include finance, human resource, information technology and legal services.

Espiritu said the heads of these departments and thepolice and fire departments report to him.

“The city has gone through a number of tough years financially,” Espiritu said. “I think I helped the city get through that. There are a number of issues we continue to face. I think my time here has been very well spent in understanding city finances and budget situations.”