Kristeen Duren is New Clifton City Manager

The City of Clifton has a new city manager, Ms. Kristeen Duren. Ms. Duren is set to take office on September 2nd, 2025.

Former City Manager Doug Kibbey was fired by the city in April of this year following multiple disagreements with some of the city commissioners on city matters. City Recorder Samantha Haines held the position as Interim City Manager until the interview and hiring process was completed.

Last month, the field of applicants for the position of city manager was narrowed down to four – John Powell, Joshua Girt, Jeff Minatra, and Kristeen Duren. According to Christopher Huntingford’s “Beyond the Banks of the Tennessee River” podcast, determining whether the board picked the “right” candidate depended on aligning their choice with the city's needs, the candidates' qualifications, and the board's priorities, which include experience, salary fit, and availability.

The top applicant initially selected by the commission was Mr. John Powell. Huntingford stated on his podcast that Powell was favored for his articulate responses and mid-range salary expectations within the advertised $87,464-$106,621 range.

Jeff Minatra was allegedly said to be the most qualified candidate for the position but was less negotiable due to his salary demand that did not work with the city’s budget for the position.

Joshua Gert was reportedly said to have weaker public speaking skills and less relevant experience.

According to sources at Clifton City Hall, after the initial selection of John Powell for the city manager position, certain things “came to light” that made Mr. Powell the wrong selection for the city’s best interests. The News was unable to get any further information as to why Powell was eliminated from the field of applicants.

The selection of Kristeen Duren for the position ultimately aligned best with the board’s stated criteria of experience, affordability, and start date. At the Clifton City Commission on July 28th, Ms. Duren graciously accepted the position and introduced herself to the board.

Ms. Duren began by saying it was an honor to be selected for the position of Clifton City Manager. She went on to list her work history, including ten years as dietician at Wayne Care Nursing Home and Wayne Medical Center. She has been involved in the “family business” at Duren Pharmacy for 20+ years, but has made the decision to move in a different direction with her career.

Ms. Duren spoke briefly with The News on Monday about her new position. “Like many, I have devoted the last several years of my life to raising my two boys, Jacob and Brady,” said Kristeen. “Now that Brady, my youngest, is in college, I have had more time to reflect on my career path and what I am really interested in doing.”

Ms. Duren says she found herself looking for a challenge, but had always been community-service minded at heart. When she found out Clifton needed a city manager, she was intrigued by both the challenge of the job and the fact that it would allow her to serve the community.

“Tourism is the biggest draw for Clifton,” said Ms. Duren when asked about her vision for the city. “We will be looking for ways to expand on the tourism aspect and hopefully find ways to extend tourism year-round, rather than just during the months with warmer temperatures.”

Ms. Duren went on to mention a few other things she has already been made aware of and is looking into for the City of Clifton, including the airport. “The airport is a great asset to the city but is under-utilized. Right now, planes can only land or take off during daylight hours. I will be looking into grants and funding that would allow us to install lights along the runway, making the airport accessible 24 hours a day.”

When asked about the construction of the new multi-million-dollar water plant in Clifton, Ms. Duren said she has not yet had time to really dive into the project, but hopes to get up to date as soon as possible. She confirmed that the City of Clifton has a month-to-month contract with Collier Engineering, where Jeff Minatra is employed as a consultant. [Editor’s note: Minatra was reportedly among the top four applicants for the city manager position.]

As Ms. Duren told the commissioners at the last city meeting, she is stepping into the role of city manager with the intention of establishing a good working relationship with both the city and its citizens. “The City of Clifton is a beautiful place for its citizens to call home,” said Duren. “I believe the office of city manager should be operated with full transparency and great communication.”

Ms. Duren said she will be at the next meeting of the Clifton City Commission on Monday, August 25th, and hopes to be ready to officially take office on September 2nd or before.