South Central Reporter

The Centralia City Council has unanimously agreed to offer Lowell Crow the position of city manager, which he accepted. 

On May 4, Crow took his oath as city manager, according to the Hoppers Weekly. 

The mayor and City Council announced the offer from a nationwide pool of 44 candidates, according to the news agency. Candidates from 19 states and Canada were competing for the position, but the mayor and City Council narrowed it to six applicants, from which Crow was selected. 

Crow has more than 37 years of management and public-sector experience and is also credentialed by the International City/County Management Association. 

In 2017, Crow was the first city manager of Freeport after the city shifted to a council-management system of local government. As Freeport city manager, Crow created its first integrated Capital Plan, which included a new water treatment system, according to the Hoppers Weekly. 

Crow previously worked in Monmouth as city administrator and city comptroller/budget officer. 

He also graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and advanced to serve as commanding officer of Naval Weapons Station Yorktown. In addition to a master of arts in Military Arts and Sciences, Crow has a Masters in Public Administration that he received from Old Dominion University in Virginia. 

“Lowell brings a large amount of experience and understanding of the many issues that Centralia faces," Mayor Herb Williams told the Hoppers Weekly. "His knowledge and proven experience as a city manager will be vital in moving Centralia forward to the next level of growth for years to come and I am confident that he will be a very good fit."