Branson's board of Alderman passed a number of amendments collectively dubbed "Dody's Laws" which vastly expanded the board of alderman's range of power in addition to a more open process by which citizens can question Branson's city department heads.
The City of Branson has functioned without a permanent city administrator for nearly a year. The press release issued by the city is posted below:
Aldermen select finalists for city administrator’s job
Branson Mayor Raeanne Presley has announced the two finalists for the position of city administrator. They are Dan Galloway, city manager in Stillwater, Oklahoma and Dean Kruithof, deputy city manager in Fort Smith, Arkansas.
Within the next two weeks, Presley said the Board of Aldermen will hold a public reception, which will be attended by Galloway and Kruithof, to give citizens and community leaders a chance to meet and visit with the city administrator candidates in a social setting. Shortly after the reception, the mayor and aldermen will meet to select the new city administrator who could be in his Branson City Hall office in early summer.
Both Galloway and Kruithof were among several candidates interviewed by the Mayor and Board of Aldermen last week.
Galloway has 30 years of experience in public administration. Prior to becoming a city manager, he served as a program director for a joint federal-state planning agency for the Upper Mississippi and Missouri River system where he directed a major plan for the U.S. Congress to balance upgraded locks and dams on the Mississippi for barge traffic with environmental and rail industry concerns.
Since 1984, Galloway has served as city manager for suburban communities in both the Tulsa and Oklahoma City metro areas. In an economic development role for Stillwater, which has a population of 50,000 and is home to Oklahoma State University, Galloway serves as vice chairman of the Oklahoma Technology and Research Park in Stillwater.
Galloway has a Bachelors Degree from Western Illinois University and a Masters Degree in Urban Planning from Southern Illinois University. He and his wife Diane have five adult children and 13 grandchildren.
Kruithof has over 27 years of broad municipal management experience and has worked in administrative positions in Wichita, Kansas; Stillwater, Oklahoma; Pittsburg, Kansas and DeKalb, Illinois. He has been the Fort Smith deputy city administrator since 1999 during a period of strong community growth and development.
During his tenure in Fort Smith, Kruithof has had extensive experience in capital improvement projects including the development of a convention center, numerous street improvements and the expansion of the regional water supply. He spearheaded the city’s first comprehensive development plan and is involved with regional economic development efforts and affordable housing alternatives.
Kruithof has a Bachelors Degree in Political Science and Masters Degree in Public Administration from Oklahoma State University.
Kruithof was born in Carthage, Missouri, and raised in Miami, Oklahoma. He and his wife Cynthia have one son who recently graduated from college.
