City manager candidates step front and center.

Byline: Jack Moran The Register-Guard

SPRINGFIELD - They laughed. They snacked. They shook dozens of hands. And then it was showtime.

All three finalists for Springfield's city manager job stepped behind the lectern Thursday night and introduced themselves to 100 or so locals who gathered inside City Hall to hear what they had to say during an informal "meet-and-greet" session.

Armed with comment cards, attendees listened closely and jotted down their opinions of the candidates.

The comments will be reviewed today by the Springfield City Council, which is set to interview the three finalists this afternoon behind closed doors.

Council President John Woodrow said that while a preferred successor for retiring City Manager Mike Kelly could be chosen by the end of the day, he wouldn't count on it.

"It's an important decision, and we all want to make sure we're making the right choice," Woodrow said.

Two of the finalists - Assistant City Manager Cynthia Pappas and city Development Services Director Bill Grile - are familiar faces at City Hall who needed no real introduction during Thursday's gathering, attended by several city employees. The third, Waukesha, Wis., City Administrator Jim Payne, spoke of his desire to be a "community-minded" city manager in Springfield.

"It's something I'm looking forward to in Springfield as a possibility," said Payne, who went on to speak of several other general ideas he had for the city. "From what I've seen so far, it seems like the place to be to reach these goals."

Grile, a former city councilor and city manager in Coos Bay, said he agreed with Payne's assessment that "Springfield is the place to be."

Grile praised the city's "can-do attitude" and reminded the crowd that while most feel the city is improving and growing, "there are things yet to be accomplished in Springfield, and it's going to take a lot of work."

During her time at the microphone, Pappas talked about her heritage, experience and vision for the city she has served since 1987.

"Dream with me," she urged the crowd before listing several improvements for Springfield that she would like to see in the near future. "I am up for it all.'

If this were an election, Pappas would get former City Councilor Fred Simmons' vote.

"I think we'd be well-served by any one of the three, but I like Cynthia because of her involvement in the community," said Simmons. "In this job, you've got to have flexibility, an understanding of the community and an understanding of the financial limits there."

Curt Greer, a Springfield resident who attended the gathering, didn't say who his choice would be, but hopes the new city manager would be as approachable as Kelly has been during his 16 years with the city.

"That's the way I want to feel with whoever's in that position," Greer said. "They've got to be in touch with the citizens."