Candidate Field For Lakewood City Manager Reportedly Down To One: John Caulfield

And then there was one.

After months of searching for the right fit, it appears the Lakewood City Council is down to one person for its vacant city manager position.

The News Tribune is reporting that the city is expected to extend a contract offer to John Caulfield, current city manager at Mountlake Terrace and former deputy city manager for University Place.

Click here  to read the newspaper's full story.

Today's news came on the heels that Pierce County Deputy Executive Kevin Phelps, the other of the Lakewood City Council's finalists, withdrew his name for consideration.

Caulfield has been the top staffer in Mountlake Terrace since 2006. Before that, he was deputy city manager in UP, where he was community and economic development and finance director over nine years. He has also worked for Federal Way, and is an Army veteran who served at what-was-then Fort Lewis.

At a public meet-and-greet session earlier this week, the Boston native told the crowd that joining Lakewood would be somewhat of a homecoming for him, as not only did he work at UP, but he was also stationed at the local military installation.

He said the hospitality that the people in Lakewood showed during his assignment - the lady who sewed his patches in Tillicum, the people he'd meet while getting gas or a haircut, shopping at the former Lakewood Mall - convinced him that the Puget Sound was the place for him.

It also convinced him that he should pursue a public service career in the area.

"I have a passion for local government. I have a passion for being city manager," he said.

"The thing that I like about Lakewood, what I see, is opportunity," he added.

What do you think? If the city moves forward with offering Caulfield the city manager position, do you think it will be the right move? Tell us in the comments below.