Administrator finalist drops out, council names another

Interviews open to public

Renae Fry, the former city administrator of North Branch, has withdrawn her name from consideration for Forest Lake’s open city administrator position. Tariq Al-Rifai was then offered and named a finalist after Fry’s announcement.

Fry held the administrator role in North Branch for seven years before stepping down last December, a role she held after a brief stint as the administration coordinator for Sauk County, Wisconsin. Prior to that, she was a longtime practicing attorney and dean at Hennepin Community College, where she held various roles for 24 years.

Al-Rifai has spent the last three and a half years as the city administrator and economic development director in Paynesville, Minnesota, where he currently serves. He worked for four and a half years as the executive director with the Quorum Centre for Strategic Studies, three years as head of research & investor relations with the Kuwait Finance House, and spent for four years as the director of Index Investment Strategy with S&P Dow Jones Indices. Al-Rifai holds a master’s degree in international business management from DePaul University and received his bachelor’s from St. Cloud State University.

The six finalists will participate in a three-panel interview process on Thursday, June 20, including panels by the council, city department heads, and a community member panel. The interviews will be open to the public, as well as an informal luncheon during which members of the public can speak to the finalists. The council is expected to announce their decision at their Monday, June 24, meeting.