ITHACA, N.Y.—One of the three finalists for Ithaca’s new city manager role, Nicholas Coates, has withdrawn his candidacy, city Human Resource Director Schelley Michell-Nunn said in an email late Tuesday afternoon.
After Coates’ withdrawal, the two remaining finalists are current City of Ithaca Chief of Staff Deb Mohlenhoff and Baltimore-based local government contractor Delancia Browning, Michell-Nunn confirmed Tuesday. The city is moving forward with the other two finalists, who will be interviewed before special Common Council meetings in the coming days.
After initially naming the three finalists, Michell-Nunn followed up around 5:30 p.m. that Coates had “withdrawn his candidacy.”
The news comes less than 24 hours before the first public interview is set to begin.
Michell-Nunn said Coates, who most recently served as the Deputy City Manager for the city of Lebanon, N.H., had another opportunity that would not require him to move. Coates did not respond to a request for comment ahead of publication.
Mohlenhoff is a very familiar name in Ithaca politics. Mohlenhoff previously served 12 years on Common Council, with stints as a Vice President at Tompkins Cortland Community College and at Ithaca College. While on council, Mohlenhoff was named acting mayor for several years.
Mohlenhoff has long been considered a shortlisted candidate for the job since voters approved the City Manager position in a November 2022 referendum. She addressed her potential interest publicly before council earlier this year, while discussing the extent of her involvement in designing the position.
Browning’s LinkedIn profile does not list a current occupation. She most recently worked in Baltimore’s city government as the associate director of community engagement for six months this year.
She has held a number of other staff and short-term contract positions in local and federal government over the last ten years, mostly in the Baltimore-Washington D.C. region.
In 2021, she worked a five-month contract with New York’s Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) administering its COVID-era emergency rental assistance program (ERAP).
Browning’s total experience in government spans a decade, according to her LinkedIn profile.
The finalists are the result of a nationwide search and $25,000 in consulting fees to Ian Coyle of Pracademic Partners.
The remaining two candidates will each face a two-hour interview before the full Common Council this and next week. The interviews will be held in Common Council chambers and open to the public. City leaders have long been aiming to have the city manager position filled by January.
The interviews were originally scheduled to take place between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Nov. 8, 9 and 13. According to the meeting agenda, it does not appear the interviews will be publicly broadcasted on YouTube, though the public can observe in the council chambers at City Hall. It is unclear how Coates’ withdrawal will affect the schedule of interviews, though this article will be updated when more details are available.
Ithaca Voice Editor-in-Chief Matt Butler contributed reporting to this story.
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