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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-18-01 Admin Com. of WholeDublin City Council Committee ofthe Whole September 18, 2441 8:34 p.m. - Council Conference Room Attending: Vice Mayor Adamek Mrs. Boring Ms. Chinnici-Zuercher Ms. Salay Dave Harding Robert Slavin, Slavin Management Consultants Vice Mayor Adamek called the meeting to order. He indicated that Mayor Kranstuber would not be attending, Mr. Peterson had a work conflict, and that Mr. McCash and Mr. Reiner would be late. Ms. Salay was invited to attend as a Council Member Elect. Mrs. Boring indicated that Mr. McCash had contacted her and said that he would not be attending tonight's session. Mr. Harding indicated that Mr. S lavin's firm was one of the top two consultants selected from those who submitted proposals. He then invited Mr. Slavin to introduce himself. Robert Slavin provided background on his qualifications, as outlined in the proposal. Most of his work background prior to starting his consulting business related to Human Resources. He has recruited for local governments all over the country. His Ohio clients have included City Manager searches in Oberlin and Beaver Creek, administrative positions in the City of Cincinnati, Montgomery County, City of Dayton, and most recently the Chief Administrator in Shaker Heights. Council will determine what type of person they are looking for and a profile will be developed. Communities have unique characteristics and a good fit is important. One difference in his approach versus other consultants is that he conducts a site visit at the candidate's present employer prior to Council's interview sessions. It helps to assess his/her relationship with staff, and other qualities. This is a due diligence tool he uses, along with ensuring that the candidate has good credit, a good driving record, is temperate in his personal life, and that the educational credentials are verifiable. He would personally do the search for Dublin and would be the only consultant the candidate would see. He noted that the Dublin community has a great reputation and he expects a lot of interest in the City Manager position. Ms. Chinnici-Zuercher asked what process he would use to have Council identify what they are looking for? Mr. Slavin responded that he would meet with each Council member and then the whole Council to find out what is on each person's mind, their aspirations for the City Manager, and what they want to see the Manager help to accomplish. He recognizes that he works for the entire Council, not for individuals, but he would need to know where each is "coming from." He has been generally successful in obtaining agreement from the Council on what they are seeking. He is currently working with the Columbus Metropolitan Library Board in a search for a new Executive Director. Each member has added a dimension to the search profile. He will draft a profile, based on input he receives from the Council. He then showed samples of profiles he has done recently for Bryan, Texas and Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania City Manager searches. Brief discussion followed about the process of drafting the profile. Committee of the Whole September 18, 2001 Page 2 Ms. Chinnici-Zuercher asked if he interviews executive level staff in developing a profile? Mr. Slavin noted that this is somewhat a political decision - he works for Council, not for staff. In a recent assignment, the staff was very controlling and the Council felt they were treated as second class citizens. Dublin does have a reputation of having a very high quality staff, and the current staff is a critical part of the environment the next Manager comes into. The Manager needs to be someone who can work in the current environment. Ms. Chinnici-Zuercher asked what role the community stakeholders will play in the process? Personally, she supports their involvement. Mr. Slavin responded that he would recommend involving community leaders. It is important to establish the extent of their involvement, however; Council controls the selection process and communicates that clearly to them. Focus groups or other type of community involvement are desirable. Ms. Chinnici-Zuercher asked if the proposal includes these items. Mr. Slavin responded that the only item not included in his estimate of costs is that of bringing the candidates in for interviews -lodging, transportation, meals. This is standard practice. Mr. Harding noted that the quote also does not include additional items, such as a psychological profile or other similar tools, if Council would desire to have those done as part of the search. Mrs. Boring asked what challenges he envisions in this process. Mr. Slavin noted that in his brief visit and materials provided he believes that growth is a critical issue for Dublin -how Dublin determines what it wants to be -managing growth without diminishing the quality of life. There appears to be a good blend of commercial and residential development in Dublin. A significant CIP program has been established to keep abreast of growth. The challenge will be maintaining the quality of life with the expected growth. Mr. Adamek stated that Council has not to date had substantive discussion about how they will go through this search process and in what way to involve community leaders. What does Mr. Slavin believe to be the best way to bring forth the most effective candidates? To what extent should the community be involved in the process? The present Manager has been in Dublin for 14 years, so no one has faced this challenge in a long time. Mr. Slavin responded that a Committee could suggest attributes for a successful candidate, identify the needs of the community as well as the issues Dublin faces. He would recommend involving the community leaders in influencing the recruitment profile. He cautioned against having community leaders screen candidates or eliminate candidates -this is Council's charge. A community reception could be held for candidates and their spouses, giving people a chance to meet the candidates. Council will make the final determination. One community he worked with had a panel of candidates where citizens could write questions down and the candidates responded in sequence. This involved three candidates and worked well. There was no voting by citizens and no ranking, as that could result in frustration. It is important to manage this process so that everyone understands what the purpose and role of the citizens and Council are. Committee of the Whole September 18, 2001 Page 3 Mr. Harding noted that one issue in Ohio relates to the public records law. Recent case law in Ohio has found that resumes submitted are a matter of public record. Some candidates would be reluctant to apply without advising thew Council, putting themselves at risk very early in the process. Mr. Stavin stated that he would need to study the Ohio law on this. His normal practice would involve contacting potential candidates and making them aware of the opportunity. If they qualify, he would perhaps meet with them to discuss the position. There is an advantage in contacting potential candidates, as they can tell their Council that they were recruited to apply. But once their name as a candidate is made public, that person has jeopardized their current position. So the key is to diminish the amount of time before the candidate names surface and the final decision is made. The objective is to manage the process so that candidate names are provided at the latest time that the law allows to reduce exposure. Mr. Stavin noted that the Dublin community should sell itself -people will be eager to compete for this position and likely will take some risk. Mr. Adamek stated that Council is looking to attract a premier candidate with quality experience. What level of compensation «~ill be expected to secure such a person? Mr. Stavin responded that he recently completed ~rork u7 Shaker Heights, Ohio and Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania where the positions paid $120,000 and $125,000, respectively, plus a benefit package - auto, etc. Protection from termination in an employment agreement is an important item to many candidates. He will work with Council on this aspect to keep them from setting a precedent. School superintendents generally have three-year contracts and the contract is paid out if they are fired; City Managers, however, do not -they work at Council's pleasure. However, they have families and need protection as well. Mr. Adamek asked from a sales approach why Council should select Mr. Stavin for this work? Mr. Stavin responded that he has a lot of credibility with clients and candidates. He treats people with respect. His on-site evaluation of candidates is unique, and this separates him from some of the other consultants. He has a strong commitment to doing the work and doing it well. There are some opportunities he has declined to pursue, as he is selective. He does the work personally, unlike some larger firms. He is very accessible to the client and the candidates. Ms. Chinnici-Zuercher asked about timeframes for the process after the contract is signed. Mr. Stavin stated that from the point of developing the profile and placing the ads, he estimates a 90-day timeframe. Mrs. Boring noted that this is an election year, and how will the issue of turnover be handled. Mr. Stavin stated that this depends on the number of seats which could potentially change. One way to manage this is to involve the candidates in the citizen committee to secure their buy-in. Another way is to realize that successors will make the decision and that the candidates will want to know whom they will be working for. So if there is a radical change in policy direction, the recruitment will be more difficult. This factor would automatically trigger a significant interest in protection of employment. If there were different faces with the same policy direction, it would not impact the process. But if there is radical change, it will have significant impact on the process. Committee of the Whole September 18, 2001 Page 4 Discussion followed about the timeframe needed to develop a profile and who would be involved in this. Mr. Stavin stated that he believes that the profile could be completed in approximately two weeks time, following execution of a contract. The involvement of candidates could be an issue - if Council establishes a set of criteria which successors don't concur with, there would be a need to reconvene after the election. Mr. Adamek stated that he doesn't believe that the process will be that far along by the election date, and that the profile could be retailored if necessary. Ms. Chinnici-Zuercher agreed that his recommendation in terms of inclusion of community groups and focus groups is good. One advantage for Council is that they receive feedback on the candidates and who they deem to be desirable. Discussion followed about the on-site visits and how that process is done. Mr. Stavin stated that by the time the on-site visit is completed and background work is done on other jobs the candidate has held, a consistent picture of the candidate is obtained. When things are inconsistent, it will show up in this process. This process is not foolproof, but has been very reliable in his experience. Mr. Stavin noted that he also visits the local Chambers of Commerce to see how the candidate is perceived, reviews newspaper articles in the local media. Mrs. Boring asked if he reviews their prior evaluations. Mr. Stavin said that he does not, although sometimes a candidate will volunteer that information. He does not have a lot of confidence in the consistency of evaluations to be used to compare candidates. He may look at whether the candidate received pay raises each year, and what individual Council members say when contacted as a reference. He is looking for consistency among previous and present Council and staff- attributes that compare to the characteristics established in the profile, as well as the general characteristics of honesty, integrity, work ethic, leadership skills, etc. Mr. Harding noted that Mr. Slavin's proposal indicates that 95 percent of his placements are in the job five years later. He asked him to elaborate. Mr. Stavin responded that he does surveys and keeps in touch with clients. More than 50 percent of his work is done for previous clients. He believes that a good fit brings success in this, as well as his knowledge, skill and understanding ofthe issues. The average life of a City Manager in a position is five years --this includes those who leave for better jobs, those who retire, and those who are fired. It is important for a Council to set goals for a City Manager after hiring -not just goals for the City. Mr. Adamek commented that Council believes that Dublin has a capable and well-respected senior management staff: Does Mr. Slavin's experience indicate that candidates «~ill want to bring in their own people or will work with those in place, specifically in an environment when someone retires and there is good fiscal responsibility and good services in place. Committee of the Whole September 18, 2001 Page 5 Mr. Slavin responded that in his experience, most new managers welcome the idea of a well running machine in place. They generally do not want to bring in their own people. Part of the answer will be addressed in the profile established. If this Council is confident that the staff is good and is performing, that becomes a part of the leadership style sought -someone to bring out the best in a group versus a change agent. There is less stress for a community with stability in this changeover. Mr. Harding noted that Mr. Slavin has indicated in his proposal that the best candidates are already employed and may not be looking. What are the best ways to make known to them this opening and develop an interest? Mr. Slavin stated that they use thew network to determine where those candidates are -contacts are made by phone. Those contacts may know of others who would be interested. They may send a copy of the profile and then call a candidate to see if they would be interested. It is a kind of spider web approach, using their professional network. Much of this is relationship driven, as they have an existing base of those who maybe interested in the right opportunity. He added that they have not yet determined what type of candidate would be the best fit for Dublin -there is no stable of candidates which exists, only a network of people that this can be communicated to. Mrs. Boring asked if he guarantees that if he makes a successful placement in Dublin, that he will not contact that person about another opportunity for a certain length of time. Mr. Slavin responded that this contact would not come from him. They do advertise in professional journals. They adhere to the code of ethics established by ICMA in terms of recruitment. Candidates «~ho have job-hopped are not what they prefer - it often indicates that they may do the same in Dublin. 11~Ir. Slavin emphasized that the process is based on what Council establishes as the need for Dublin. If the candidate does not meet this Council's criteria, he will not bring them here. He will meet with Council during the process at a progress meeting to let them know what kind of candidates have applied. Ms. Chinnici-Zuercher asked about his track record in terms of finding and securing jobs for those other than white males. Mr. Slavin responded that approximately one fourth ofthe candidates he has placed have been other than white males. He takes pride in this. He will not discriminate against anyone, but before someone places their present job in jeopardy, he wants to ensure that a community will accept them. He recently placed a woman in the Shaker Heights Chief Administrator position, a black woman in Durham, NC, a woman fire chief in Prince William County, Virginia, and a black male in Ormond Beach, Florida. It is a question of fit for the community that is the driving factor. Mr. Harding asked how many of his clients have opted for supplemental tools -psychological or personality tests? Mr. Slavin stated that most do not feel the need for these, and he has seldom seen clients use these tools. Mr. Adamek asked in terms of final candidates, what are his expectations for numbers? Committee of the Whole September 18, 2001 Page 6 Mr. Slavin stated that once the recruitment phase is completed, he will bring 12-15 resutnes to Council for their review. Then he will ask Council to narrow the focus -whether they want Midwestern candidates or those from similar communities. The difficult part at this point is that Mr. Slavin does not have a lot of personal knowledge about the candidates. Then he'll look to narrow the group to 5 -often there is a group of 10, comprised of an "A" group and "B" group of candidates. 11~Ir. Adamek stated that he will then bring a profile synopsis ofthose ten or so and whittle the group down to five? Mr. Slavin stated that five or six is a good number. Sometimes Councils have wanted to meet with all of them and schedule some type of community meeting. After this, the second interviews should follow closely because ofthe exposure risk to candidates with their present employer. Approximately three days in between is desirable. Ms. Chinnici-Zuercher stated that in Dublin, the vacancy is driving the process, and this forces a deadline. Council does not want to have an interim manager for an extensive period of time. Mr. Adamek noted that there are qualified interim manager candidates on staff. Ms. Chinnici-Zuercher stated that it would not be fair to expect that person to fill that position for an extended period oftime -less than 6 months would be desirable, and hopefully far less. Mr. Adamek noted that there is generally a notification period required for a candidate who is presently employed, so this timeframe may not be realistic. Ms. Chinnici-Zuercher asked if it is common in the City Manager search process to find jobs for spouses as well, similar to what is done in the private sector? Mr. Slavin responded that once in a while this is a feature of the process, and may simply consist of directing the spouse toward opportunities. It is also important to expose folks to the school system, to realtors. Moving expenses are commonly included in a package, but not housing subsistence. Sometimes employers have provided some loan assistance or subsidy for housing, such as in California. Ms. Chinnici-Zuercher stated that Dublin has a wide range of housing prices, so she would not expect this to be necessary. She would also assume that any candidate would have done his or her own due diligence in regard to the school systems, private or public. Mr. Harding asked how often placements come from the same state. Mr. Slavin responded that this occurs frequently -and with Dublin, he would expect a lot of interest from Ohio. At the progress meeting, he «~ill seek du•ection from Council on their preferences. Candidates who are familiar with local state law are desu•able to some Councils. Mr. Harding noted that Mr. Slavin has done this work for 30 years. What is the most enjoyable part of the job? IVIr. Slavin responded that he enjoys getting to know different communities. He also enjoys all aspects of working with clients and thrives on the variety. He does not like to delegate his search duties, preferring to do the work personally, other than clerical support. He spends 10 percent of his time per year on administrative matters and has a very capable office manager. Committee of the Whole September 18, 2001 Page 7 Ms. Salay asked how many searches he conducts at the same time. Mr. Slavin responded that generally he conducts 5 to 6, and they must be staggered in terms of timeframes in order to handle them properly. He is currently concluding one search and is down to six. Mr. Harding asked what he enjoys least about his job. Mr. Slavin responded that the fact that he needs to be more places than he can be at one time bothers him. He tries to organize his work so that one does not conflict with another. He also does not like to work with candidates who are less than forthright -those who take credit for work other than their own. Mr. Harding then asked him to describe a situation where the search was not successful and to identify the reasons it failed. Mr. Slavin responded that he recently did a search for a new executive director for a consortium of county and city in Kansas where an interim director had indicated he was not a candidate. Later in the process, the interim director who was subsequently displaced indicated that he was in fact qualified and interested in the position. The Board blamed the search firm for this circumstance and he lost this client. He understands that they have not filled the job to date. Mr. Harding asked him to point to a situation that defines his ethical conduct or code to which he subscribes, demonstrating that he has integrity beyond reproach. Mr. Slavin responded that he has turned down work because he felt uncomfortable working for a group. In one job, he was physically threatened to include a candidate and refused to do so. He was later told he was at risk because of the client's ties to organized crime! He tries to live his life in a way that folks won't question his integrity -this is his strength. Professional ethics are very important to him, and he believes no one who knows him would question his ethics. He has also turned down searches where discrimination was involved, as he refuses to work in such a situation. Mrs. Boring asked what would be his reaction if this Council, not individually but in total, indicated that a woman would not be a suitable candidate. Mr. Slavin responded that after recruitment, if the best candidates happen to be women, he will bring them forward. If he senses that Council wants to discriminate, he would not want this work. Mr. Adamek asked how Mr. Slavin would handle the situation where upper management people would want to be considered as candidates? Mr. Slavin responded that at the outset, he would ask Council if there are internal candidates and what Council's reaction to them would be. If they apply for the position, Council will be informed. The same criteria will be applied. There is some advantage with a local candidate, obviously, in terms of knowing Dublin and its culture. He will advise Council at the progress meeting regarding any internal candidates who have come forward. Ms. Salay stated that as a Council, they should be aware if there is someone internal interested versus spending thousands to recruit someone from outside -this would be fiscally responsible on Council's part. Mr. Adamek stated that the discussion has been not to exclude any internal candidates, but to also look at a larger pool of those interested. Committee of the Whole September 18, 2001 Page 8 Ms. Chinnici-Zuercher stated that it would be desirable to see who the internal candidates are and how they would compare to the pool of those interested in coming to Dublin. Someone from outside may bring outstanding experience that would help to move forward the goals of Council. Council is not undertaking this just for the sake of having a process -there is a benefit in looking at all of the candidates who express interest. Ms. Salay noted that her concern is that taxpayers would question the process if Council ultimately decides to hire an internal candidate. Mrs. Boring stated that if the internal candidates stands up against all qualified candidates, it would demonstrate that Council is making the best choice. She would prefer to look at all of the options. Ms. Chinnici-Zuercher stated that it is premature to discuss the viability of internal candidates prior to establishing the profile for the position. Mr. Harding noted that his experience has been that the competitive process brings more credibility to internal candidates when tested against the market. Mr. Adamek asked for any final comments from Mr. Slavin in regard to the decision about a consultant. Mr. Slavin responded that he appreciates the comfortable envi•onment and good communication in tonight's meeting. He is working in the Columbus area now and there maybe some opportunity to leverage some trips with the work he is doing for the library. He believes he can provide quality service. He is well respected in the industry and has done a lot of work for repeat clients over the years. It is unprecedented for a Council to spend this much time in the search for a consultant, and he appreciates the opportunity to be considered. The meeting was adjourned at 10:30 p.tn. Clerk of Council