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Former Wilkes-Barre city administrator J.J. Murphy is a finalist for for the city manager post in a Detroit, Michigan suburb.
Murphy is one of four candidates in line for the spot at Farmington Hills. He left Wilkes-Barre in 2010 and was hired as the city manager of Hobbs, New Mexico in 2012.
The website for Farmington Hills said Murphy is one of four finalists and all of them agreed to allow their names to be released after a public study session in August. The finalists are David Boyer, Farmington Hills’ acting city manager, Michael Lasley, Farmington Hills’ director of central services and James Jackson, an applicant from Richmond, Virginia. They are tentatively scheduled to tour the city Friday and meet with the public that same day. Murphy is tentatively scheduled for an interview from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday to be televised live on the city’s cable channel
Murphy, a graduate of King’s College and an officer in U.S. Air Force Reserves, worked for Wilkes-Barre for six years and was instrumental in setting up Hawkeye Security Solutions, the non-profit organization overseeing the citywide camera surveillance system.
He also had a consulting company, Goals Consulting, that had a role in the failed attempt to privatize Wilkes-Barre’s parking assets. The Philadelphia law firm, Fox Rothschild where his brother, former U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy is a partner, hired Goals Consulting. The plan was later scrapped by the Wilkes-Barre Parking Authority.