NORTH MANKATO — North Mankato City Administrator John Harrenstein has been named city administrator for Altoona, Iowa.

Harrenstein said he wasn’t looking for a new job, but a search firm contacted him about Altoona’s position.

“We have truly made North Mankato our home and we love it, but this is a great opportunity to advance my career. Altoona is experiencing enormous growth and prosperity. This growth requires planning, development and expertise financial.”

With 20,000 residents, Altoona is larger than North Mankato, which has less than 14,000 residents. Altoona is part of the Des Moines metropolitan area.

Prairie Meadows Casino, Racetrack and Hotel is in Altoona, as is Iowa’s largest theme park, called Adventureland. The city is also home to Facebook’s largest data center.

“The board and management team and I have accomplished a lot here. We have a strong management team in place and we have a strategic plan in place. I think the quality of life is as good as ever in North Mankato.”

Harrenstein has served as the city administrator of North Mankato since March 2013. He said he was proud of the expansion of the Caswell Park Sports Complex, the reconstruction of the Spring Lake Park swimming facility and the construction of the house warming of this park.

“We have also started a break with the infrastructure. Every year we have rebuilt roads and other things.”

Just as Harrenstein arrived in North Mankato, the town’s bond rating was downgraded due to its indebtedness. “We improved that and now have a good bond rating.”

He said the recent establishment of the Department of Culture and Recreation and the City’s acquisition of youth sports groups would be beneficial for the future of recreation and the Caswell complex in the future.

Mayor Mark Dehen said he was surprised by the announcement but understands Harrenstein’s decision.

“He’s done a great job, but apparently he’s been headhunted, and there’s a shortage of city administrators. As the workforce shrinks, it’s just the environment in which we are.”

Dehen said the days of a city administrator serving 25 or 30 years, as the last two did, are over.

“John has done a great job over the past nine years. We have a comprehensive plan in place, a good land use plan, good finances and debt plans in place.”

Dehen said he plans to set up an ad hoc search committee at Tuesday’s board meeting and said the board will likely hire a search firm to search for a new director.

The mayor said he hopes the city will have a new administrator in place by the time the city begins its 2023 budgeting process later this year.

There could be another wrinkle in the transition as Dehen may or may not be mayor soon after Harrenstein leaves.

Dehen and former Nicollet County Commissioner Dave Haack are vying for an open seat on the county council. A special election is held on April 12. The person who wins is likely to start serving on the board at the end of April.

Harrenstein, along with Dehen and several council members, have come under heavy criticism from some residents in recent months after the city assumed responsibility for planning and organizing the Fun Days.

The popular celebration has been organized for decades by the Civic and Commerce Association and Denny Kemp. When Kemp passed away last fall, the city said it needed more information from the group and needed to know how the event would be coordinated going forward.

Ultimately, city officials said, the group was unwilling to respond or work with the city, and the city assumed management of the Fun Days.

Several residents have attended council meetings in recent months, lambasting the mayor and several council members for the decision, calling it a hostile takeover orchestrated by Harrenstein.

Harrenstein said the critics played no role in his decision to take on a new job.

“Every good leader has their detractors. I think the board has a good plan in place (for Fun Days.)”