Wichita’s city manager finalists will be in town this week. Here’s how to meet them
The three finalists for Wichita city manager are in town for interviews, including a public forum on Tuesday.
Members of the Wichita City Council will be meeting Monday with the candidates. Longtime City Manager Robert Layton plans to retire by the end of this year.
Last week, the city announced three finalists for the position: Mark Freitag, former chief administrative officer for Westminster, Colo.; Dennis Marstall, county administrator for Lancaster County, S.C.; and Donte Martin, assistant city manager in Wichita.
All three will meet individually with the city council for initial interviews.
“As we head into these conversations, I’ll be looking for someone who understands that the Mayor and Council set the direction and priorities for our city, and that we’re ultimately accountable to the people we serve,” council member Dalton Glasscock said in a post on Facebook.
Members of the public can meet the candidates at a forum Tuesday evening. Doors open for the event at Botanica’s Lotus Hall at 4:30 p.m., with the event starting at 5:30 p.m.
At the event, the candidates will be interviewed individually, using questions submitted by the public online or at the event, with priority given to questions submitted online beforehand.
After interviews, the candidates will be available until 9 p.m. to meet attendees.
A livestream of the event will also be available.
Council members will decide who will be the city’s next manager, which is the council’s only employee. The council has the power to hire, and fire, its city manager.
“We hope that the new candidate will have time to meet with Manager Layton and learn about past city operations and ongoing projects,” Wichita Mayor Lily Wu said at last week’s announcement.
A city spokesperson said that the city manager selection committee would make its recommendation to council by the end of this week, with the council discussing that selection before the Thanksgiving holiday.
An offer will be extended to a finalist after the holiday with a public vote in early December.
The city manager is responsible for daily operations of the city.
The position oversees around 2,886 full-time employees and a $573 million annual budget, according to the city’s website. The projected salary for the new manager is between $250,000 and $325,000.
This story was originally published November 17, 2025 at 12:59 PM.