Cincinnati's often embattled city manager is one of eight finalists vying for the chief executive spot in Fort Worth, Texas.

        John Shirey confirmed Tuesday that he applied for the vacant city manager position and has been invited to the Lone Star State for an interview Feb 16.

        “I wasn't going to announce this at all. I thought I would leave this up to the people in Fort Worth,” he told the Enquirer. “I guess I have been officially notified today.”

JOHN F. SHIREY

Shirey     • Position: Cincinnati city manager since 1993.     • Born: July 10, 1949.     • Home: Hyde Park.     • Family: Married 21 years to Marilyn Shirey; children Jill, 19; Greg, 15; Elizabeth, 12.     • Education: Bachelor's degree in industrial engineering, Purdue University, 1971; master's in public administration, University of Southern California, 1973.     • Professional: City of Long Beach, Calif., assistant city manager, 1987-93; Los Angeles County, assistant chief administrative officer, 1986-87, and deputy chief administrative officer, 1985-86; Community Development Commission, Los Angeles County, assistant executive director, 1982-85, and acting executive director, 1985; National League of Cities, legislative counsel, 1979-82; city of Long Beach, intergovernmental relations director, 1976-79, and legislative analyst, 1975-76.     • Interests: An elder at Walnut Hills Christian Church, auto racing fan, certified track and field official, children's school and sports activities.

        Mr. Shirey, 51, said he did not go looking for the job, but the tenuous nature of his employment in Cincinnati and City Council's rejection of a small raise this month weighed heavily in his decision to apply for it.

        “No, (the raise) did not help at all. It was certainly a factor,” he said. “But I did not contact them. A recruiting firm sought me out.”

        While Mr. Shirey has at times seen himself as City Council's whipping boy, with members publicly question ing his performance, he has been a central figure in some of the region's biggest developments and most controversial projects since he was hired in 1993.

        Those include the redesign of Fort Washington Way, the plan to transform Cincinnati's riverfront, the transfer of Cinergy Field from the city to the county, and relocating longtime downtown businesses for a department store that never materialized.

        Another key factor in Mr. Shirey's decision to apply for a new job is the upcoming election of the city's first directly elected mayor, which will transform that post from a mostly ceremonial one into the chief executive officer of the city with veto power over council legislation and the authority to choose the city manager.

        “It's not driving me out of town, but I do think it is an issue,” Mr. Shirey said. “I don't know what to expect with the new system. It depends largely on who will be elected mayor.”

        Mayor Charlie Luken, who is considered the odds-on favorite to win the mayoral race, said Tuesday he is not surprised by Mr. Shirey's decision to apply for the job.

        “Not given the way he is beat about head and neck every Wednesday,” he said. “My feelings about John's performance are well known. I think he's done a good job.”

        But Mr. Luken was the swing vote against giving the manager a 3 percent raise two weeks ago, saying he thought Mr. Shirey was paid enough. It would have been Mr. Shirey's first raise since June 1999.

        As chief executive of Cincinnati, Mr. Shirey oversees the daily operation of the city and its 7,000 employees.

        He has the longest tenure of any Cincinnati city manager since C.A. Harrell ended a nine-year term in 1963. But for nearly two years, his $149,000-a-year job has see-sawed between complaints by council members and controversies within his administration.

        Twice since 1997, Mr. Shirey has been named a finalist for city manager positions in California, first in San Diego and then San Jose, but he was passed over both times. In 1999, officials in Long Beach, Calif., where Mr. Shirey once worked, asked him to apply for city manager, but he did not pursue it.

        Fort Worth officials were mum Tuesday about any of the finalists, saying only that 50 people applied for the job and eight were put on a short list after council members spent two hours last week reviewing resumes in a closed session.

        Human Resources Director Linda Cobb said all of the finalists have extensive municipal government experience. Two are Fort Worth employees, while the others were selected by a recruiting firm from cities throughout the United States.

        The Fort Worth job pays $174,000 annually plus benefits and a retirement package that averages about 48 percent of the salary, Ms. Cobb said.

        Mr. Luken said he and other council members agreed that if Mr. Shirey goes, a permanent replacement likely wouldn't be hired until after the November election.

        “I think it is understandable in that we're moving to a new form of government,” said Councilman Pat DeWine. “In less than a year, the new mayor will pick the new city manager.”

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