T.O. COUNCIL MEETS CITY MANAGER HOPEFULS; 4TH, FINAL CANDIDATE AWAITS INTERVIEW.

Byline: Lisa Mascaro Daily News Staff Writer

The Thousand Oaks City Council met with three candidates for the city manager job Friday and expects to meet with a fourth and final candidate possibly in the first week of January, officials said.

The council met in closed session to interview candidates for the top administrative post, an estimated $120,000 a year job, to replace Grant Brimhall, who retired in February after 20 years.

``All of the candidates we saw so far have been qualified candidates,'' said City Councilman Dan Del Campo. ``The process will continue.''

It was uncertain if interim City Manager MaryJane Lazz, a veteran city administrator interested in the position, was among those interviewed for the job.

Lazz did not return calls for comment.

The city manager is responsible for Thousand Oaks' $114 million operating budget and a City Hall staff of 480. Choosing the manager is one of two personnel decisions the council makes, along with selecting a city attorney.

Thousand Oaks had begun searching for a city manager earlier this year, contracting Bob Murray from a Sacramento-based firm to lead a nationwide search.

However, the project was put on hold after Councilwoman Elois Zeanah announced she was stepping down from office following the November election. The council said it would wait until the new council was in place before resuming the process.

After the November election, some council members had suggested reopening the search process to include more candidates, but the lawmakers decided instead to begin interviewing those who had initially expressed interest.

The fourth candidate was unable to attend Friday's interview because of schedule conflicts, and is expected to meet with the council in closed session after the holidays.