ALPENA –There is great interest in the position of Alpena city manager.

The deadline apply for the job passed Friday. Walsh Municipal Services’ President Frank Walsh, who was hired to lead the candidate search, said he has received 39 resumes.

Current city manager Greg Sundin intends to retire in December.

Walsh said the field of candidates is very diverse. He said people from as far away as Alaska have shown interest in the job and many others are from Michigan. Walsh added that many applicants have local government experience.

“We’ve had current city managers apply, as well as former city managers,” he said. “There are former county administrators, engineers, and even someone who is second-in-command at an Air Force base. Council will have a good variety of candidates to choose from, some of which have a great deal of familiarity of Alpena.”

At least one city employee has applied for the job. Names of the applicants haven’t been released.

Now that the deadline has passed, Walsh will whittle the field down to about a dozen or so and distribute those applicants questionnaires, which need to be returned Sunday. Walsh will then review the responses and cut the field once more, presenting the Alpena Municipal Council at one of its September meetings with a list that includes recommendations.

Face-to-face interviews with the finalists will take place on Sept. 28, and a decision on the new hire is slated to be made on Oct. 7.

Walsh also led the search after former city manager Thad Taylor was let go, leading to Sundin’s hire in 2013.

Walsh said he is pleased with the number of applicants, which is about the same as the last go-round. He said that’s surprising, because the overall field of candidates for a management position has changed.

Walsh said that, during the prior search, there were many assistant city mangers looking to become city managers and applying for jobs all over the state. He said many municipalities have done away with the assistant city manager position, however, so the field of potential candidates has dried up, somewhat.

Walsh said some communities have struggled to attract candidates and one, Sault Ste. Marie, had one finalist for the job after receiving a limited number of inquirees.

Walsh believes that shouldn’t be the case in Alpena.

“There will be a lot to look at and consider, but all we really need is one candidate who is the best fit for Alpena,” he said. “I think, overall, we have a good, solid group to choose from.”

Alpena Mayor Matt Waligora said he is pleased that the interest is as strong as it is. He said that, not only will the broad pool provide council members many options to consider, but it also shows Alpena is an attractive destination where people are willing to move and work.

“To have this type of interest, in my opinion, this speaks volumes about Alpena,” Waligora said. “I thing having more than 30 candidates is better than only having four. Really, though, the quality of the candidates is what is most important, and that is what we will see soon and truly know what we really have.”

Last month, the city hosted the summer workshop for the Michigan Municipal Executives association, a trade group for city managers and other government administrators.