DUBOIS, Pa. — The City of DuBois aims to hire a permanent city manager by its July 3 meeting.
The city has gone through several managers over the past several years. The cycle began after the firing of former City Manager John “Herm” Suplizio following an investigation by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. According to previously published Spotlight News articles, federal authorities charged Suplizio, and his former secretary, Roberta Shaffer, with felony conspiracy and federal program theft. According to the article, law enforcement officers received a letter from “concerned citizens” in 2020. The letter initiated an investigation by the Pennsylvania Attorney General. Suplizio was arrested in 2023. The latest developments in the case can be found here. Spotlight PA
Initially, the City Council appointed City Engineer Chris Nasuti to serve as interim manager. The council later hired Sandy Township Manager Shawn Arbaugh while the two municipalities worked toward consolidation. Following Arbaugh’s resignation, Kafferlin Strategies filled the vacancy.
According to Ben Kafferlin, co-interim manager, the city has completed the first round of interviews. Officials categorized the 21 applicants into three tiers: seven “exceptional” candidates, seven “acceptable” candidates, and seven “maybe” candidates.
The city plans to conduct additional interviews with the top eight candidates next week. The public is invited to meet the final four candidates during a reception at 4:30 p.m. May 20.
The City of DuBois is asking residents to submit questions for the candidates via email prior to the meeting. Questions may be sent to manager@duboispa.gov.
