The Durham City Council dropped the word 'interim' from Patrick Baker"s title Friday and appointed him to the position of permanent city manager--the highest appointed position in city government.
One hundred and five people submitted applications to replace previous city manager Marcia Conner. Baker, the top internal candidate, beat out two other finalists with more municipal management experience.
'I am a huge fan of promoting from within,' he joked at a Thursday evening question-and-answer session at City Hall.
Talking about what managerial qualities he possesses, Baker cited his respect for every person and his ability to make people feel comfortable. 'I"m so approachable!' he told members of the Durham community.
Baker has worked with the city of Durham for seven years. He was the assistant city attorney when Conner resigned, and he was called upon by higher-ups to take on the role of interim city manager.
Conner resigned in July after a botched search for a police chief, financial troubles in the city"s housing department and complaints from citizens and city council members alleging that she awarded municipal contracts to friends.
Many employees also complained about the working environment under Conner"s leadership. Charlotte Woods, founder of Concerned Citizens for Accountable Government, a North Carolina-based advocacy group, called the morale of workers at City Hall under Conner 'deplorable.'
'[Patrick Baker] is very accommodating when you make requests of him,' said Woods, 'I don"t have anything but positive things to say about Patrick.'
Constance Staneil, assistant director of housing and commercial development for Durham, hopes the new city manager will make lower-level employees and other personnel feel appreciated and 'bring everyone working for the same vision.'
Baker is married to Rae Ann Baker and has two children. He graduated in 1993 from the Wake Forest University School of Law.
The other two finalists for the city manager position were David Thompson and Charles Penny.
Penny is currently the assistant city manager of Rocky Mount, N.C. David Thompson served as the Durham county manager from 1996 to 2000, when he transferred to the private sector, working with an agriculture and engineering consulting firm in Charlotte.
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