Mark Statz, Centerville city manager/engineer, has been tapped as Forest Lake city manager.
Statz, 48, will start his new job on February 18.
Statz has been a city manager and engineer in Centerville since 2017. Previously, he spent nearly two decades in private practice at Stantec, providing engineering services to cities and towns throughout Minnesota, including Centerville.
“I feel my skills will lend themselves well to a growing community like Forest Lake,” he said. “I enjoy getting to know Forest Lake and its people and discovering what is important to them.”
Statz, who lives in Lakeland, estimates he has attended more than 800 city council meetings throughout his career.
“When I first decided to throw my name in the hat for the Centerville position, I wondered if I could do the job,” he said. “And then I thought, ‘Well, I’ve seen it happen 600 times, I could probably do it myself.’ That gave me the confidence that I could be a competent director.”
Forest Lake City Council members interviewed Statz Wednesday night and then voted unanimously to offer him the position, Mayor-elect Blake Roberts said.
Throughout the recruiting and interview process, Statz demonstrated a calm, professional and thoughtful demeanor, he said, adding that Statz has a reputation for strong technical knowledge and creative problem-solving skills.
“I believe Mark is an excellent choice based on all of his experience in both the private and public sectors,” said Roberts. “I look forward and am very excited to have the opportunity to work with Mark and the next City Council to move Forest Lake forward.”
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Forest Lake has been looking for a new city manager for almost a year. The Forest Lake City Council decided in January to part ways with then-city manager Patrick Casey, who had held the city’s top post since 2018. The council interviewed eight candidates during two different search sessions before deciding to interview Statz on Wednesday.
Statz said he applied for the city manager position earlier this year and was asked to be a finalist, but declined at the time.
Statz graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1999 with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering.
Statz and his wife Angela have three children.
