Meet The 4 Finalists For Minnetonka City Manager

MINNETONKA, MN — The city of Minnetonka Friday announced four finalists for the city manager position. The position became open after Geralyn Barone retired in September of 2021.

Barone served nine years as city manager and spent a 26-year career with the city.

The four finalists were selected by the city council from a group of 11 candidates, which were initially identified by GovHR USA executive search consultants.

On June 1, city department directors will interview the finalists. Finally, the city council will conduct interviews — open to the public — on June 2 at 9 a.m., in the Minnetonka Community Center.

The city provided the following information about the candidates below:

Jeffrey Dahl

Currently serves as the city manager for the City of Wayzata, which has 65 employees and a budget of $22 million. Dahl has 16 years of experience in local government, previously serving as assistant city administrator and economic development director for the City of Chaska and as the city administrator and planner for the City of Osseo. Dahl has a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in political science from the University of Minnesota.

Michael Funk

Currently serves as the acting city manager for Minnetonka, where he has also served as Assistant City Manager. Minnetonka has 265 employees and a budget of $97 million. Funk has 26 years of experience in local government, previously serving as assistant city manager/director of human resources for Maplewood and city administrator for Minnetrista and Olivia. Funk has a Bachelor of Arts in political science and a Bachelor of Science in sociology from the Southwest Minnesota State University.

Philip Kern

Currently serves as the city administrator for Delano, which has 23 employees and a budget of $22 million. Kern brings 24 years of experience in local government having also served in the City of New Hope as administrative assistant. Kern has a Master of Arts in public affairs from the University of Minnesota and a Bachelor of Arts in political science from St. John's University.

Cynthia Steinhauser

Currently serves as the deputy city administrator for the City of Rochester, where she has also served as community development director. Rochester has 950 employees and a budget of $494 million. Steinhauser has 30 years of experience in local government, having previously served as city manager for Frankfurt, Ky., and assistant city manager of Dubuque, Iowa. Steinhauser has a Bachelor of Arts, in economics and finance from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa.

The city council will make the final hiring decision.