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West Jordan Journal

West Jordan Names City Manager

Sep 01, 2015 12:17PM ● By Bryan Scott

West Jordan City issues a warm welcome to new City Manager.

(West Jordan, UT) — The West Jordan City Council is pleased to name Mark R. Palesh as city manager. The City Council selected Palesh from four finalists who went through a final interview process Aug. 26 and will officially confirm the appointment at the Sept. 9 meeting.

“Mark brings a wealth of experience to our city that will help us move forward and build on the many things that make West Jordan a great place to live, work and raise a family,” Mayor Kim V. Rolfe said. 

Palesh has served as Managing Member/CEO of the Magellan Group, a land development consulting group in Salt Lake City, since 1995. He has also served as a local government chief executive in New York, Alaska and Utah. 

“I’m looking forward to this new opportunity,” said Palesh. “My experience in the military, public and private sectors will be an asset to this rapidly growing community. There are many great things happening in West Jordan, and I’m excited to take on this new challenge with Mayor Rolfe and the City Council.” 

For the past several months, the City Council has been working with Waters & Company, an executive recruiting firm from Dallas, Texas, to select a new city manager. Waters & Company was selected through a “Request for Proposal” process where companies across the country with expertise in city manager recruitment were solicited to help with the nation-wide search.

More than 1,000 people were contacted by email and targeted outreach, and were notified of the opportunity. The city received 21 applications, from which four finalists were selected based on a body of information that included a resume, cover letter, questionnaire and video interview. 

“The process has been very thorough and yielded a pool of quality candidates,” said Rolfe. “We are confident in our choice and excited to work together.”

Palesh retired from the Air Force Reserve and National Guard Forces as a Lieutenant Colonel, where he served as an instructor navigator and senior manager. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Parks College of Aeronautical Technology and a Master of Public Administration from Brigham Young University. He and his family reside in Midvale.