Unalaska, AK – As of today, the City of Unalaska has finally filled all of its director positions.

A new finance director signed on to the job today, and the city announced on Thursday that Nancy Peterson has been hired as the new public works director, filling the position left open by Dave Kemp's departure more than a year ago. And starting January 1, powerhouse superintendent Dan Winters will be the city's utilities director.

The city has struggled to fill many of its director-level positions for the past year, and the city council commissioned a study to determine why exactly Unalaska was having trouble attracting qualified applicants. Last month, the council approved a 6.5 percent increase in the salary schedule for directors, and bumped the $3,500 moving bonus offered to new hires up to a $10,000 hiring bonus. But City Manager Chris Hladick said that none of these things were entirely responsible for the new wave of hires.

"I think a lot of it was coincidence," he said.

Peterson is leaving her job as the assistant city manager in Valdez, which she's held for the past six years. She'll begin work in Unalaska in February. Hladick said the new finance director's hiring will be formally announced this afternoon.