City officials spent more than six hours Saturday interviewing
four candidates for the Hollister city manager position and have
narrowed the field to two.
City officials spent more than six hours Saturday interviewing four candidates for the Hollister city manager position and have narrowed the field to two.
“The interviewing went very well… it was very productive,” Councilwoman Pauline Valdivia said.
Officials would not discuss details about the candidates, including names, and emphasized a necessity for confidentiality until a new city manager is named.
Mayor Brian Conroy called the field of four “strong candidates.”
After the final interview, Council members voted on the pool through a rating system, according to Valdivia, and selected two for another round of interviews. No date has been set for these interviews.
Included in Saturday’s meeting were Council members, interim City Manager Ed Kreins and outside consultants. Former city manager George Lewis, who held the position for five years, retired in January.
City officials took the first step to hire Lewis’ successor months ago when the Council hired Bob Murray and Associates as the executive search firm at a maximum cost of $25,000. The nationwide search, which attracted 41 applications, ended on the Jan. 3. Since, the city hired Kreins on a temporary basis until the permanent successor is chosen.
The recruiting firm narrowed the field to 12 candidates, according to Councilman Tony LoBue, which the Council recently reviewed in closed session and again whittled to the four interviewed Saturday.
“I think the process has been a good process,” Kreins said. “The recruiting firm has done a good job as far as screening candidates.”
The Council members asked an identical set of “generic” questions to the candidates, Kreins said.
Conroy said officials are on the same page as to which qualifications are most important, but each member is looking for certain “different qualities” – a contrast of opinion Conroy referred to as “a good thing.”
“I’d like to see people skills and good communication continued,” he said. “I think it’s really important to have experience (as a city manager), or there at least has to be some management experience.”
Officials have not set a timeline for filling the position and have said they will take the appropriate time to find the ideal person.
“We’re not just looking for a warm body,” Conroy said. “There’s no rush. We’ve got a good interim city manager who’s willing to stay on through the process.”
Moreover, there is no guarantee the new city manager will even be chosen from the four candidates interviewed Saturday, Kreins said.
“We want to hire somebody qualified and competent,” Kreins said. “There is no mandate to hire any of the four.”
Conroy added, “It’s too early to know if they will be the ones.”
Valdivia expressed confidence in both candidates and called it a “toss up” between them.
Bob Murray and Associates, aside from observing the interviews and making further suggestions, will also help in contract negotiations once the final candidate is selected, LoBue said.
