Kudos to SJB council for vetting all city manager candidates
San Juan Bautista council members had two realizations in recent
months about finding a permanent city manager. First, that they
should remove the nearly two-year-long interim title from the job
and find the best leader for the long term. And second, that they
should seriously consider all of the half-dozen prospects who have
shown interest.
Both were wise decisions.
Kudos to SJB council for vetting all city manager candidates
San Juan Bautista council members had two realizations in recent months about finding a permanent city manager. First, that they should remove the nearly two-year-long interim title from the job and find the best leader for the long term. And second, that they should seriously consider all of the half-dozen prospects who have shown interest.
Both were wise decisions.
If any city knows it, San Juan Bautista’s leaders should understand these are complicated times that demand a combination of creativity, rationality and immense discipline all at once. San Juan has dug a huge hole for itself with a series of bungled decisions, aggravated by the poor economy and its effect on the city’s foundation of boutique retail shops along with tourist attractions such as El Teatro Campesino, the Mission and the State Historic Park.
It needs a visionary who’s willing to set a plan for the long term and stay around to see it through.
Maybe interim City Manager Julian, who has applied for the permanent job, is the right person. Or maybe not. Considering what is at stake, it certainly does not hurt to test an employer-friendly market and see what others have to offer.
And considering San Juan’s track record in recent years for choosing city manager leadership, vetting all the interested candidates – before jumping ahead with a decision – should be an understood requirement. Even Mayor Ed Laverone acknowledged that city officials could have done a better job of vetting two of the last four San Juan city managers. He was talking about the prior, permanent city manager, Jan McClintock, whom the council fired in May 2008, and Jennifer Coile, who resigned from an embroiled tenure on the job after less than a year.
San Juan officials late last year advertised the opening, but only on the city’s Web site and received just one applicant, Julian, for the job. After understanding they could have been a lot more open about the recruitment, and posting the job on the League of California Cities Web site, San Juan received a more palatable list of six candidates from which to choose.
They appear ready to seriously consider all of the candidates, not just Julian. That is a good thing for ensuring the public’s trust, and toward picking the right person for the long term.
