The city of Rincon is getting closer to finally having a permanent city manager in place. According to Mayor Ken Lee, the city could have the position filled within six weeks to two months.

“We’re getting some good candidates,” he said.

Thirty-five candidates have applied for the position and according to Lee they hail from all parts of the country. Most are from the Southeast. None are from Effingham County.

Lee and the council met on Thursday during a special called meeting to conduct two interviews with candidates, one of which was done by phone with a candidate from Minnesota.

Despite the turmoil created by the departure of Mike Barton, the city’s last city manager, the mayor said that the hiring process has not changed.

The council and mayor began with a review of the applications to determine if applicants met their criteria, such as education.

“That kind of weeded some out,” Lee said.

Those who met the criteria were then interviewed. Five interviews have been conducted so far. References are being checked and the final candidates will probably undergo background checks, according to Lee.

Since March, police Chief David Schofield has been serving as the interim city manager. Barton resigned on March 2 amid allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate conduct.