San Juan Bautista’s quest for a new city manager is moving along
at a breakneck pace, after about 17 resumes were received by the
time the city closed the application period Friday.
San Juan Bautista – San Juan Bautista’s quest for a new city manager is moving along at a breakneck pace, after about 17 resumes were received by the time the city closed the application period Friday.
Council members will meet next week to whittle down the list of 17 to about eight applicants, and begin the interview process in mid-May, said Vice Mayor Charles Geiger said. If everything goes smoothly, Geiger hopes to have a full-time manager in place by early June. In the interim, Fire Chief Rick Cokley has been handling the day-to-day duties of a city manager, Geiger said.
The city has been accepting applications for about a month since three of the five councilmembers voted to fire former City Manager Larry Cain in March. While the city only spent $900 to advertise the job opening, Geiger said a host of qualified candidates from surrounding areas, along with some from the East Coast, have applied.
Between applicants who reside in Hollister, Gilroy, Watsonville, Prunedale and Pebble Beach, among others, the city council has its work cut out for it in choosing the best one, Geiger said.
“I can’t give out the names, but some are very impressive,” he said. “They’re local, and very impressive.”
The job will pay between $65,000 and $85,000 a year, and will depend on the candidate’s experience and knowledge, Geiger said. While many of them have budgeting and planning skills, which are high priorities for the city, Geiger said they must possess qualities not taught in any classroom or learned on any job site.
“They have to understand what San Juan’s all about, our slowness,” Geiger said. “San Juan moves slow in time. You feel like you’re going into the past, and that’s what’s cool about the town.”
The city recently secured a $3.8 million federal grant to help fund a nearly $8 million infrastructure rehabilitation project. Although the timing of Cain’s firing in relation to the city acquiring the grant spurred controversy and a recall effort by resident Rebecca McGovern against Geiger and Mayor Arturo Medina, it hasn’t disrupted the Mission City’s slow and steady flow, Geiger said.
“Cokley is doing a good job, the water/sewer situation is good, we’ve been doing some street repair,” he said. “Things are running smooth and mellow.”
