Despite what may be happening in the current local economic climate, when it comes to public service jobs, Culver City is still a desirable place to be.

The most recent batch of evidence comes in the 71 applications the city received in response to its opening for a city manager, a vacancy created when Mark Scott stepped away April 2 after less than a year on the job.

April 30 was the deadline for interested applicants to apply for the position. The past three weeks have seen Culver City Human Resources Director Serena Wright, executive search firm Avery & Associates and Culver City City Council members poring over the paperwork, conducting telephone interviews and finalizing a much smaller pool of candidates who will be brought to town for in-person interviews next month.

“I think it says great things about the city,” said Wright about the initial response to the opening. “I think Culver City has really established itself. They (candidates) see Culver City as just this emerging jewel that it is.

“I think that we’re all really optimistic that we’ll get somebody of the same caliber as we had with Mark and with Lamont (Interim City Manager Lamont Ewell) now. We’re really optimistic that we’ll get somebody to help guide us through this.”

Ewell, the former city manager in Santa Monica, San Diego and Durham, N.C., was brought aboard April 1 on a four-month contract to help lead the city through the always challenging fiscal budgeting process that is currently underway. The plan is for his tenure to come to a close at the end of July, and Wright believes the city will be able to hit that target for making a permanent hire given the manner in which the search has proceeded thus far.

“I’m comfortable that we’ll be able to have an offer made by then,” Wright said.

Culver City Mayor Christopher Armenta shares that optimism, adding the bar has been raised by the two men who have most recently held the most powerful position on the city staff.

“We know what the market is bearing right now in terms of quality. … Both Mark and Lamont, they’re kind of the measuring stick for what comes in,” Armenta said. “I’m looking for candidates to match that quality.”

Paul Kimura, who is handling the search on behalf of Avery & Associates, could not be reached for comment.