The man who would be police chief will be in Oak Harbor next week to negotiate a contract.

As his pick for next police chief, Mayor Bob Severns said Friday he chose Kevin Dresker, a former officer with the Wenatchee Police Department.

The deal isn’t finalized, however, as Dresker and the city still have to agree to terms of a contract.

Dresker and the other finalist, Othello Police Chief Phil Schenck, went through two interview panels in Oak Harbor and a “meet and greet” event with the community last week.

Severns said both men are great candidates, but Dresker came out on top.

Dresker asked the city not to share his resume with the Whidbey News-Times in case he doesn’t take the job, according to city staff.

Dresker was with the Wenatchee Police Department for about 28 years. He was a captain when he graduated from the FBI National Academy at Quantico, Va., on Sept. 20, 2013, the Wenatchee Business Journal reported in an article.

At that time he was the administrative bureau captain, supervising the Special Services Division, Detectives and Records Division, along with other responsibilities.

Dresker left the police department as a sergeant in 2014 for a professional opportunity, the Wenatchee World News reported at the time.

Dresker became the security services manager at Confluence Health, which Severns described as a large hospital conglomeration.

Dresker was one of three finalists this May for the Wenatchee police chief job. He did not get the position.

Severns said 18 people applied for the Oak Harbor chief position after Ed Green resigned as chief earlier this year. The candidates were narrowed to four individuals who were scheduled to go through the interview process last week, but only two candidates showed up.

One of those candidates was John Dyer, a longtime Oak Harbor police officer who rose to the rank of lieutenant before leaving Oak Harbor in 2012 to take a job as police chief in Rifle, Colo.

Dyer pulled out of the interview in Oak Harbor to take a job as police chief in Lake Stevens.

Another candidate was from Arizona, but also got a different job.

After coming into office earlier this year, Severns launched investigations into morale problems and internal strife insude the Oak Harbor Police Department and ended up asking Green to resign.

Terry Gallagher, the former police chief in Port Angeles, has served as Oak Harbor’s interim police department administrator while the city searched for a permanent chief.