From the Shoreline City Council
Friday, August 23, 2013
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| Back row, from left: Jesse Salomon, Doris McConnell, Will Hall, Shari Winstead, Chris Roberts. Front row, from left: Deputy Mayor Chris Eggen, Mayor Keith McGlashan Photo courtesy City of Shoreline |
Shoreline Residents:
The City Council is beginning the process of hiring a new City Manager as a result of the recent resignation of current City Manager Julie Underwood. It is our goal to complete the recruitment and selection process later this year with a new City Manager positioned to start in early 2014.
One of the most important decisions we can make as a Council is the hiring of a new City Manager. The City Manager is responsible for implementing the City Council's goals and policies and running the day-to-day business of the City. It is a very complex job and it is important that we select an individual who has the knowledge, skills, experience, and qualities that will meet the challenges of today while planning and preparing for the future.
We invite and encourage your input as we move forward in the recruiting and selection process for this very important role. Please take a moment for a quick survey found here. The information gathered will help the Council as we evaluate potential candidates. Please note that your responses will be completely anonymous.
Thank you in advance for taking the time to provide your input.
Sincerely,
Posts
9 comments:
Only TWO QUESTIONS in the survey!
What specific qualities will the next Shoreline City Manager need most to be successful?
What are the most important challenges facing the City of Shoreline now and in the years ahead?
Of the two questions above, only one is directly related to the city manager RECRUITMENT.
I guess that is all we can expect from implementation of City Council Goal - Citizen Engagement, the Council has had a month to prepare for citizen engagement and that is the best they can do? And rather than hold a meeting in council chambers where they can receive public comment, they are having a dinner meeting.
Shrute for City Manager!
Dear City Council and Shoreline Community: August 24, 2013
In selecting a new City Manager, the Shoreline City Council is set to embark on one of the most crucial decisions that a City Council ever makes, one that could have a dramatic, long-term impact on the overall vitality of the Shoreline Community.
As you approach this process, I offer some points about how to involve the Shoreline community and the Shoreline staff in the interview process. You have stated repeatedly that you want and value community input and this is another opportunity to demonstrate that commitment. My suggestions are based on many years of experience in hiring and terminating personnel
Community Involvement
1. Design a process for appointing 5 – 7 residents to an interview committee that is representative of the rich diversity in our community;
2. Empower the committee to interview the candidates, using a series of interview questions the committee develops; and
3. Instruct the committee to submit to the Council the names of a ‘short-list’ [say 3-5] of candidates that the Committee believes most solidly meets or exceeds the qualifications approved by the Council.
4. Importantly, instruct the committee to submit the names, unranked, e.g., in alphabetical order. This instruction is critical in providing the Council feedback without the Council feeling compelled to honor a particular favorite choice.
Staff Involvement
1. Construct a similar set of steps for staff input in the interview process;
2. Design a committee that spans across the various levels of staff and management. This demonstrates the Council’s commitment to honor the views of all levels of staff, not just the proverbial “inner circle.” Such diversity in staff representation becomes particularly important in situations where staff morale may need a boost.
Thank you for your consideration of these suggestions,
Jerry Patterson
20420 Richmond Beach Dr.
Shoreline, WA 98177
And the City of Mountlake Terrace is getting right on it, appointing an interim city manager and hiring an external search firm by RFP:
http://www.cityofmlt.com/cityHappenings/pdf/pressReleases/2013_PR/130821_CMRecruitment.pdf
Just put Blue Square Real Estate in charge.
We need someone who is fair, humble, open and honest. These are the city manager qualities needed to restore the trust of Shoreline’s neighborhoods and the morale of the city’s employees. Trust and morale have been driven off a cliff over the past two years.
The city could use their social media system to solicit input, but that is thinking outside of the box. The city believes only in push communications, it is a one way street.
The special meeting notice is not on the main city webpage, you have to go to the city council meeting page to find it.
This is not the usual practice for the posting of special meeting notices for the city council and planning commission. Furthermore, this meeting has been scheduled per the agenda planner for at least a week.
The only thing worse than hiring a bad city manager for Shoreline would be hiring a good one, for then the arrogant, condescending and misguided ends of the current city council might actually be accomplished, to the detriment of the community, its pocketbook, and its way of life.
Unless and until Shoreline voters discover what their genuine common interest is, and replace the current city council in its entirety with one that actually serves that interest, any fuss over the recruitment of a new city manager is just bibbling and scribbling.
But do engage in the process, not to effectuate a successful hire, but to force openness and accountability of our elected officials, that we might see them for what they are and what they are doing to us, and replace them.
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