Amarillo appears poised to have a new city manager, perhaps not long after the sun rises Thursday.

It’s going to be one of five men who have answered the call by the Amarillo City Council for someone to become the city’s chief administrator, the go-to guy who will run a city government that answers to 200,000 residents. The council reportedly has tendered an offer to one of the men.

I’ve been thinking a bit about who the city should choose. I’ve come to a conclusion that involves one of the applicants: If the council doesn’t choose current interim City Manager Bob Cowell, then it’s my hope that Cowell remains part of the city’s top municipal management team.

I don’t know Bob Cowell, who came on board after I resigned my job at the Amarillo Globe-News.

All five of the candidates appear to have solid experience and backgrounds in municipal and county government. Any one of them — from what I’ve read about them through the media — would be good picks.

Why focus on Cowell? As someone with intimate knowledge of city government told me Monday night at the meet-and-greet session with the five candidates at the Civic Center, City Hall has a number of key positions to fill. A lot of top hands have left the city as a result of the tumult that has occurred at Seventh and Buchanan.

If the council has chosen Cowell to be the top man, then he would step in with a substantial bit of what’s commonly called “institutional knowledge.” He knows the lay of the land, the principal players and the direction of the political winds.

If the council goes with someone else, then perhaps Cowell could be persuaded to stay on as deputy manager, a post he held until assuming the interim job … again, according to my friend with all the knowledge of city government and politics. Cowell’s knowledge of the local landscape would be a valuable asset to whomever takes over as City Hall’s top hand.

So, with that … we shall see who the council picks. It’s a major decision that will have tremendous impact on those of us who live here and depend on the city serving our needs.