The mayor of San Juan Bautista said that if he has his way, the
city council will interview interim city manager candidates after
reviewing resumes this week.
The mayor of San Juan Bautista said that if he has his way, the city council will interview interim city manager candidates after reviewing resumes this week.
“If I have anything to say, there will be interviews,” said Moore, responding to a report that the council would make its decision on a replacement for Steve Julian – who resigned from his $120,000-per-year job last week – without face-to-face discussions with candidates.
“We’ll take the top candidates, look at their applications, then set interviews with those candidates,” he said Monday. “Once we select the top-tier candidates, we’ll check references and job history, then make a diligent decision.”
San Juan’s deputy city clerk last week said the council would review resumes in closed session on June 16 “and makes its decision off of that,” without interviewing finalists.
Moore said some constituents have expressed concern that the council would not interview candidates for the job, particularly since Julian abruptly resigned after having been fired from at least two previous city manager jobs.
“The best way to do it is to select who we feel are the top-tier candidates then interview them, because I have questions,” he said. “I believe a majority of the council will want to interview the top candidates. I want to check (the candidates’) histories. I think the council will agree. We need to go through protocol. If it takes a couple of extra weeks, so be it.”
Whoever gets the job, it appears they will make significantly less than the $10,000 per month – without benefits – that Julian was paid.
He didn’t have specific numbers available, but Moore said the next city manager will make “a significant amount less than we were paying Steve,” though that person likely will receive benefits.
“We’ve got to tighten our purse strings,” he said. “We’ve budgeted a certain amount for a full-time person and we’ve lowered it from the 120 (thousand) that Steve was getting.”
A job announcement for the interim manager’s job was posted around town and on the city’s website last week. It seeks candidates “that possess a history of exceptional communication skills including accessibility and cooperative leadership ability.”
