St. Paul Mayor-Elect Melvin Carter has some big shoes to fill — 10 pairs of them, in fact.

On Thursday, Carter began interviewing at least 28 potential department directors to fill 10 leadership positions within the city, from the head of Public Works to Parks and Recreation.

Carter will continue the interviews on Friday and then resume them Wednesday, after the Christmas holiday, if need be. The goal is to extend offers and receive acceptances by his swearing-in ceremony on Jan. 2.

The department leaders will oversee the bulk of the city’s more than 2,700 full-time employees, other than those employed within the St. Paul police and fire departments, Human Rights and Equal Economic Opportunity Department and St. Paul Regional Water Services. Leadership in those departments is chosen through a separate process.

To narrow the field of candidates, Carter’s transition team assembled 10 hiring panels composed of civic leaders, city workers, policy experts and everyday residents.

The panelists convened last week to read through resumes and applications and trimmed the field to 57 candidates. The panelists interviewed those candidates this week at Mitchell Hamline School of Law.

The panelists then recommended 28 finalists for Carter to meet with in person. Carter has reserved the right to meet with additional applicants who were not recommended by the panels if he chooses. Related Articles Sept. 30 is last day for public comment on Pigs Eye Lake makeover

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The Carter transition team has made public the identities of 99 of the 101 panelists, though two asked not to be publicly identified.

2017 Community Hiring Panelists:

Abdirashid Ahmed

Acooa Ellis

Adrian Perryman

Alec Timmerman

Alicia Lucio

Amanda Swan

Anika Ward

Asad Zaman

Athena Hollins

Avi Viswanathan

Axel Henry

Beth Swanberg

Bill Lindeke

Bo Saatzer

Bob Graf

Brian Xiong

Brianne Hamm

Bruce Thao

Butch Inks

Carlos Sneed

Carlos Villalpando

Cecile Bedor

Clarence Castile

Colin Oglesbee

Dan Rodriguez

Dane Ryan

Daria Caldwell

Deena Thurmond

Denise Rodriguez

Derek Hollanitsch

Doris Baylor

Elmore James

Emma Corrie

Eric Foster

Erika Sanders

Fartun Weli

Gary Reed

Gerald Dodd

Jake Reilly

James Burroughs

Jeff Pellegrom

Jennifer Nguyen Moore

Jeremy Ellison

Jewelly Lee

John Bandemer

John Connell

Jon Commers

John Lozoya

John Regal

Dane Ryan

Julia Shepherd

Karen Francois

Khalid Mohamed

Kristin Winters

Ken Sass

Kit Hadley

Kolu Paye Wilson

Lisa Martin

Louise Seeba

Ma Manee Moua

Marcia Moermond

Mary Gleich-Matthews

Mary Prescott

Matt Hill

Merritt Clapp-Smith

Milpha Blamo

Mohamed Hassanen

Muneer Karcher-Ramos

Mustafa Diriye

Nancy Homans

Nelsie Yang

Noel Nix

Pa Chua Vang

Pamela Barragan

Pang Xiong

Patricia Pratt

Pearl Barner

Peter Rachleff

Rick Cardenas

Rick Maurer

Rick Varco

Robin King

Samira Afzali

Sandra Bodensteiner

Shanene Herbert

Shannon Eckman

Shari Gray

Sharifa Elaraj

Shirley Erstad

Steve Anderson

Tabitha Mitchell

Tami Lee

Tashitaa Tufaa

Teshite Wako

Tom McCarthy

Virginia Arthur

Wintana Melekin

Xenia Hernández

Yingya Vang