Eagan has chosen a new city administrator: Dave Osberg, the city administrator of Hastings, will succeed Tom Hedges after Hedges' retirement in February.

Osberg was chosen for the city's top unelected position from a pool of four finalists. He is expected to begin work in his new job on March 25.

"Dave Osberg emerged as our unanimous choice because of his sterling and well-recognized track record, and his genuine enthusiasm for taking our community to the next level," said Mayor Mike Maguire.

Hedges, the longest-tenured city administrator in the state, started with Eagan 36 years ago and is the only person to have held that job in the city's history.

Osberg, 54, has been Hastings' administrator since 1989. He said that it will be difficult to leave Hastings but that he feels honored to selected by Eagan.

At the start of his career, Osberg was an intern for the city of Eagan from 1981-82, where he worked for Hedges.

The agreement with Osberg is tentative and is set to be ratified by the council at its next meeting on Feb. 5.

Eagan, with a population of nearly 65,000, is the largest city in Dakota County and the ninth-largest in the state.

LAURIE BLAKE