Archive for “February, 2008”
City Manager Search Process #2
On Saturday, February 23rd the council met in an open meeting to continue the city manager search process. There were a total of sixty five applications made. Our hiring consultatant, Mark Nottley, reviewed those 65 applicants and reduced the number to 27 for us to review.
I was very pleased with how the council approached the review of these applicants. Mayor Stuart Bikson suggested a simple strategy that allowed the full council to move rather quickly, but efficiently, through the applicant resumes. After several hours of review, we were able to reduce the working number of applicants being considered to five.
Next Come the Interviews
The five remaining candidates will be scheduled for two hour interviews during the weekend of March 7th. These interviews will be orchestrated by Mr. Nottley, who will have 45 minutes of time to ask the candidates a number of pre-prepared questions.
After he is finished, each council person will have a short time (five minutes, perhaps) during which individual council members will be able to ask their own question(s).
Coming to a Consensus
After considering all the applicants, the council as a whole will begin deliberations about the candidates just interviewed with the goal of coming to a consensus about which candidate is the best person to manage our city. Assuming a consensus is reached, we will have identified the candidate who we would like to see lead our city into the future.
The Final Pieces of the Puzzle
Assuming a consensus was reached regarding a new city manager, it is the intent of the council to meet in closed session after the March 10, 2008 council meeting where we will discuss a compensation/contract package for the new manager.
Once this is complete, Mayor Bikson will be charged with making contact with our chosen applicant and “closing the deal”, so to speak.
My Thoughts on the Process
I was very pleased with the resume review process that we followed and with the resulting list of candidates. We were blessed with a very strong pool of candiates to review, and I am confident that we will be able to select a new city manager who fits the needs and expectations of the council and of the community.
The entire council has worked extremely hard on this issue. Each member has contributed directly to making the process a success, and I was pleased to see the manner in which we all worked together to reach this point in the hiring process.
From my perspective, the future looks bright. And it’s getting brighter every day.
City Manager Search Process #1
On Saturday, February 23 the city council will meet to review the resumes submitted for the vacant city manager postion. Our hiring consultant, Mark Nottley, will have made the first cut of the resumes, but my understanding is that we will see the resumes that he dismissed and will have the opportunity to place any of them back into contention if we choose to do so.
The hiring process is blind, at this point, and we will not see the names of the candidates. Our job at this meeting is to weed through the resumes, discuss which candidates we think are the most suitable for interview, and pass those candidates on to an interview process two weeks later.
I am really looking forward to this process. The new council has a unique opportunity to help directly shape the future of our city. It has been thirty years since a city council was in a postion to choose a new manager, and who we hire will be critical to the success of our city as we move forward into troubling economic times.
Community Involvement is Solicited
When we choose the final list of candidates, my understanding is that the city council will make a public statement identifying the finalists. This unprecedented step will be taken so that all citizens and other interested people will also have the ability to review the candidates and to be involved in the selection process. At that time, I would welcome any phone calls or emails regarding the suitability of the candidates, any questions you might suggest that I ask in the interview process, or any other information that you feel is pertinent to the hiring process.
Please take the time to stay abreast of this process and to provide approrpiate input. It’s your city and your city manager. Get involved!
Please feel free to contact me about any concerns you have. I also like to hear suggestions about how we can improve city services or reduce costs.
My goal is to help improve the city and to make it a better place for everyone.