Tadic hired on as city engineer

SANDPOINT — When Sandpoint city officials went on the hunt for a new Public Works director, Dan Tadic was a finalist for the position.

While Amanda Wilson was the top choice for that position, when the city decided to create a new position of city engineer, Tadic was again at the top of the list. City Administrator Jennifer Stapleton said Tadic's background as a city engineer in Sitka, Alaska — a city about the same size as Sandpoint — made him the perfect candidate for the position.

"They were both our finalists for the (Public Works) position ... it just came down to the skill sets that the two of them brought and what was the best fit," Stapleton said. "At the end of the day, this was a huge win for the city."

Tadic started in the position on June 11 after moving to Sandpoint with his wife and two children. The family traveled through the area a couple of years ago, and Tadic said they enjoyed their time in North Idaho.

"It was a conscious decision to kind of target this area," Tadic said. "We've been keeping tabs on opportunities in the area and this one came up."

Tadic spent the past seven years in Sitka, where he was the senior engineer for three years and city engineer for four years. Prior to that he was in Anchorage, Alaska, where he went to college and worked in the oil and gas industry for a couple of years, as well as an engineering consultant in the private sector for about four years.

While Tadic said there are a lot of similarities between his job in Sitka and the city of Sandpoint, there are also lot of differences, such as City Code and state laws.

"I'm surprised at how different some things are," he said. "It's like drinking through a fire hose right now."

Wilson, who took part in Tadic's hiring process, said he was not hired only for his well-rounded experience as an engineer in a city of similar size to Sandpoint.

"More than anything, I think his personality was a good fit," Wilson said. "He adds great value from a culture perspective within our organization, and just bringing that leadership and team perspective that we are looking for. So his personality was key, and then also just respect for his experience and his knowledge — he is one of the most practical engineers that I have had the pleasure of working with.

Stapleton said when the Public Works position was posted, city officials were looking at candidates who could not only serve in the city's traditional position of a Public Works director, but could function as a city engineer as well. While she did not have a professional engineer license, Wilson was chosen for the position because the skills she possessed were in line with the city's needs. In deciding to create the engineer position, the city accepted applications specific to the position, and also looked back at the pool of applicants from the Public Director position. Between the two pools, Stapleton said Tadic was chosen from about 40 applicants.

Prior to hiring a city engineer, the city relied "heavily" on consultants and contractors for design and engineering work, she said. With several construction projects in the works, as well as strategic planning and forming master plans, Stapleton said creating the new position was the most cost-effective approach in the long run.

Mary Malone can be reached by email at mmalone@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.