Curtis Wright took a shot at getting another government job in a different community, but it didn’t pan out.

Wright, who’s served as Oxford Township clerk since 2008, interviewed for the position of Kalamazoo Township manager during an Aug. 12 public meeting held on the west side of the state.

Township clerk is an elected position whereas township manager is an appointed one.

Wright was one of two finalists, but the Kalamazoo board on Aug. 13 voted unanimously to offer the position to Dexter Mitchell, the current manager of Buena Vista Township.

“It is what it is,” Wright said. “You go through the process and if the other person’s a better person, then you make a decision and you move on.”

“It was a very tough choice,” said Kalamazoo Supervisor Ronald Reid, who noted the board deliberated for two-and-a-half hours before reaching a consensus. “It took us a while to get there.”

Although they didn’t select him, Reid described Wright as a “rock solid” candidate.

“There’s no doubt that Curtis is very capable, very knowledgeable, has a ton of experience and would do a good job,” he said. “If the first candidate says sorry, but no thanks, I would think that Curtis would be very highly considered again.”

“I have all kinds of respect and appreciation for Curtis,” Reid added. “I’ve known him for a while and I was not disappointed at all in the interview process with him. Very sharp person.”

Wright applied for the manager’s position because as an elected official, job security is an issue that arises every four years and he’s not taking anything for granted.

“With elections coming up, you never know what can happen,” he said.

Wright, a Republican, ran unopposed in the Aug. 2 primary and received 1,981 votes. He faces no Democratic challenger in the Nov. 8 general election.

However, there’s always a chance that someone could decide to mount a write-in campaign. All write-in candidates must do is fill out and file a form called a “write-in candidate declaration of intent.” The deadline to submit this is 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28.

“Not that I was really concerned, one way or another,” noted Wright, but ultimately, he has no control over who chooses to run and what the voters decide at the polls.

“You never know what that (outcome’s) going to be,” he said. “And maybe somebody is qualified to do a better job, in this case, than what I’m doing.”

Wright made it clear, he’s not unhappy with his current job as clerk.

“I’ve got no qualms,” he said. “As far as I’m concerned, this is a position that I would probably end up retiring (from).”

Wright submitted his resume for the Kalamazoo Township position in June. He learned about the opening through the Michigan Municipal League. “I figured I’d just throw a resume in and see what happens,” he said.

In addition to his clerk experience, Wright knows what it’s like to oversee a township. He served as Oxford’s township supervisor in the 1990s. He was appointed in 1994, elected in 1996 and resigned for a position in the private sector in 1998.

Kalamazoo Township is adjacent to the City of Kalamazoo and has a population of about 22,000 based on the 2010 U.S. Census.

The community is seeking its first township manager, according to the municipality’s website. The township has a budget of $8.3 million and a staff of 59 full-time and 17 part-time employees.

The manager would report to the township board and receive a salary of $90,000 to $100,000, depending on qualifications, according to the website.

As Oxford’s clerk, Wright earns an annual salary of $62,289, plus $33,622 in benefits.