City commissioners have their list of finalists to become Lawrence’s next city manager, but they’re being tight-lipped about who is on it.

Commissioners reported after a nearly two-hour closed-door executive session Thursday that they had narrowed the list of 25 applicants to an “interviewable number.”

But commissioners did not announce the names of the applicants, whether they had experience running university communities or what part of the country they call home.

Commissioner Sue Hack, who also serves as vice mayor, said commissioners weren’t planning to release the names of the finalists at any point during the process.

“I don’t think it is appropriate to release the names of the candidates,” Hack said. “This is the only employee that the City Commission actually hires, and I promise everyone we’re taking it very seriously.

“Hopefully, the people who elected us trust us to do the job well.”

The only person known to have applied for the job is David Corliss, who was an assistant city manager under former manager Mike Wildgen and is now serving as the city’s interim city manager.

Commissioners declined to comment on whether Corliss is among the finalists for the position.

Mayor Mike Amyx said he still anticipates interviewing each of the finalists during the last half of September. He hopes the commission will be in a position to make a job offer in the first week of October.

“We’re still in that ballpark,” Amyx said.

Commissioners didn’t announce how many individuals are still in the running, but they previously had said they hoped to narrow the field to five or six candidates.

“I can tell you we should all feel very fortunate about the quality of the people who applied,” Amyx said.

Commissioners are searching for a new city manager after a majority of commissioners in March asked for the resignation of Wildgen, who had been the city’s top executive for 16 years. At the time, commissioners expressed concerns about how the city was planning for growth and maintaining its infrastructure.