Pottsville’s City Administrator Tom Palamar is leaving that job at the end of January. Earlier this month, the City posted advertisements online looking for Palamar’s replacement. Palamar has held that position within City government since 2001.
Mayor Mark Atkinson confirmed to The Canary earlier this week that Palamar is leaving the position he’s held for more than 23 years on Jan. 31.
Attempts to reach Palamar for this article were unsuccessful.
Purely based on the advertisement, Pottsville is looking to pay Palamar’s replacement between $70-85,000 annually. For 2025, the City had budgeted $111,072 for Palamar’s salary.
In a longer form job description, Pottsville says it’s looking for someone with 7 or more years of experience in local government management or a similar leadership role. The successful candidate will also have to move to Pottsville within 6 months of getting hired.
The deadline to apply for the position is Jan. 23. An application packet for the job can be obtained by emailing cityclerk@pottsvillepa.gov.
When asked about Palamar’s impending exit from the City Administrator’s job, Atkinson said it’s one thing he hoped didn’t happen while he was Mayor in 2025.
“I’m heartbroken over it, really. And I wish him all the best. The one thing I didn’t want to happen while I was Mayor was for him to retire,” Atkinson said. “He’s kind of been my rock, in some ways a mentor. He knows a lot of the players, the ins and outs. That is worth its weight in gold.”
The search for his replacement will have to be fast. Jan. 23 is the deadline to apply for the job and while Atkinson said Palamar will be available to help in the transition to his successor, the next City Administrator will have to come up to speed quickly.
“Tom isn’t tall in stature but they’ve got some big shoes to fill,” Atkinson said. “We’re going to need somebody who’s got the capability to be a good manager.”
Regarding the disparity in pay between what Palamar currently makes and what Pottsville has advertised as the rate for the new City Administrator – and what people in similar positions within Schuylkill County make, i.e. some borough managers – Atkinson said, “We can jack that up a little more if we somebody that we want.”
The Mayor said budget restrictions will ultimately limit what Pottsville can pay.
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