Unalaska's top city employee is in the running for a job in the Lower 48. City Manager Erin Reinders is one of three finalists as a county manager in Los Alamos County, New Mexico, where she recently visited to interview for the position.
"Sometimes opportunities present themselves, and they align with a lot of your own personal and professional interests," Reinders said in an interview. "And when those opportunities present themselves, you just kind of need to put your name in the hat and see how things shake out. Professionally, any sort of these experiences always give you the opportunity to grow, no matter how they turn out."
But she said her focus remains on fulfilling her current position as Unalaska's City Manager.
"And that's my job," she said. "And that's where my commitment is."
Unalaska Mayor Vince Tutiakoff Sr. said the City Council would continue as normal. But if Reinders does leave, he said the City Council will work quickly to find a suitable replacement.
"[This] being a major fishing port in the world, we have to get someone that's knowledgeable in the industry and knowledgeable on the process of running a city," Tutiakoff said. "So, there's few and far between that are very good at that process."
Reinders recently reached the second year mark of her three-year contract as City Manager of Unalaska. She was promoted from assistant city manager in 2019 when the island's previous city manager resigned. Her annual salary for the position started at about $172,500.
Los Alamos County has a population of around 20,000 people and is renowned as an early site of research of the atomic bomb. The new hire is expected to be named on July 13.
