Longmont narrows Public Safety candidates to two

Two candidates are now vying to be chief of Longmont’s public safety department.

Zach Ardis and Michael Marino were picked as the finalists by City Manager Harold Dominguez from a field of four, said assistant city manager Sandi Seader in an email Tuesday night.

Ardis is currently the executive director of Policy, Planning and Public Safety in Commerce, Ga. Marino is now an assistant chief in the Prince George’s County, Md., Fire/EMS Department.

Kenneth Chavez, a retired Denver Police Department lieutenant and Manny Almaguer, an assistant Denver fire chief in charge of the department’s operations division, have been dropped from contention.

Dominguez made his decision to go with Ardis and Marino as finalists after reviewing feedback from interview panels, staff and community, Seader said.

The two finalists “thoughtful approaches to public safety management and specific skill sets they could bring to Longmont are of considerable interest as we continue to find the right fit for our community and staff,” Seader said. “We appreciate all of the candidates in this process for their expertise and interest in the position — it has been a difficult choice.”

Dominguez does not have a set timeframe for his decision and will assume the role of Acting Public Safety Chief as he continues to check background information on the two candidates, she said.

Deputy Chief Rob Spendlow has been Acting Public Safety Chief while the city looks for a successor to Mike Butler, who retired as public safety chief last July.