Join us for a special council meeting Tuesday night, September 30 at 6:00. We’ll discuss the recommendations from the subcommittee appointed to consider the approach to identifying a replacement for our departing city manager, Paul Brachvogel.
City Manager Paul Brachvogel announced his resignation this morning at a city employee staff meeting. In his resignation letter, he noted his plan to step down effective October 24, 2008. Paul’s job has not been easy, especially as he’s worn the city attorney’s hat as well. It’s a very time consuming position that frequently involves being criticized publicly, and I can easily understand how the position he has accepted with the PUD could be attractive.
You’ll probably remember that it wasn’t long ago we were debating how to fill the city manager vacancy left by Doug Robinson’s resignation in 2007. We ended up appointing Paul as the interim, and then permanent city manager. We don’t appear to have an obvious internal candidate for the position, so we’re heading out to start a search for the right manager. I anticipate bringing on an interim manager to keep things moving and help us get through the budget process, while we go through the steps of identifying the person who can best help us keep up the positive momentum we’ve experienced during Paul’s brief tenure.
Speaking only for myself, I believe the process will involve searching at least the western US, bringing in the best candidates for interviews with selected council and staff members, then introducing the candidates to the public in some kind of open house setting. I’ll be looking for an individual who can effectively manage the employees of the city, who seems to be a good communicator, and who has a commitment to our focus on growth and economic development.
I think we still have a tremendous opportunity for development in the southern industrial areas, and we have the right staff in the various city departments to fulfill that potential. We need to make sure our new leader will foster that approach, and not obstruct this development. We’re fortunate that we don’t have to be trying to find a person to drastically change the direction of the city, but to maintain the momentum Paul has built.
With Chief Wayne Nelson’s impending retirement, Kelso faces an important decision as the search for his replacement begins. The council considered hiring a placement firm to help recruit and evaluate potential candidates in a regional search that would include most of the west coast. Ultimately, because the cost of the firm would be more than $20,000, the council decided to table the decision until the next meeting, hoping that a less expensive alternative might be found.
Several councilmembers expressed a preference for having internal candidates evaluated before casting a wider net (I’m aware of at least two officers that have expressed interest). When it comes to hiring decisions such as this one, it’s important to remember the respective roles that the council and management play. The council doesn’t have any say in whether to conduct a regional search or to just look within the department for the next chief. What we’re having to decide is whether we will authorize the expenditure to hire the recruiters to help management complete the project.
It appears the city manager plans to look both within and without the department for the next chief. Some wonder why we should go to that much effort and expense if we just end up choosing an internal candidate in the end. That’s a reasonable concern. But even if that were the case, the new chief would be proven the best available in the entire region, not just our department. That kind of clout can be valuable for a new leader.
So, any thoughts?
Kelso News