HomeMy WebLinkAbout07/12/2011 Special Meeting 31
YAKIMA CITY COUNCIL
SPECIAL MEETING
JULY 12, 2011
COUNCIL CHAMBERS — CITY HALL
111
1:00 — 4:00 P.M. -- BUSINESS MEETING
1. RoII CaII
Present:
Council: Mayor Micah Cawley, presiding, Assistant Mayor Kathy Coffey,
Council Members Maureen Adkison, Dave Edler, Rick Ensey,
Dave Ettl and Bill Lover
Staff: City Clerk Kloster
2. City Manager Interviews — 3 candidates
Colin Baenziger of Baenziger and Associates gave opening remarks about
how the interviews would be conducted in three rotating panels of Council,
citizens and staff.
James Payne
Experience:
• Professional local government manager for nearly 30 years.
• Worked in both small and large communities with a wide variety of
experience.
• Thinks he can add value to any community of which he becomes a
part.
Council Member Lover asked about his labor relations approach and
experience with binding arbitration.
Mr. Payne responded that he comes from a state that used binding
arbitration and has much experience with it including working with nine
separate bargaining unions. In Waukesha, he brought all the unions to the
table to bargain health benefits at the same time, which had never been done
before. He stated he saved the city close to $1 million using his approach of
collaboration and working together with the unions.
Council Member Edler asked why he is interested in our community and to
give us his first impression.
Mr. Payne replied it is about the job, but also it's about finding a place to
enjoy and use his talents to serve the community. He reviewed our
organizational chart, and noticed several people are in acting positions. He
has had great success in organizational development, and those he hired
were excellent for the communities where he worked. He looked at our
goals, objectives and strategic planning, but would need to understand in
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more detail what these mean. He stated we live in a beautiful area that has a
lot to offer culturally.
Mayor Cawley asked how he views the role of City Manager and City Council
in the council - manager form of government and how he would put that
together.
Mr. Payne indicated the book says council makes policy and the city
manager does the execution, but the practicality is not there. Council
members are all individuals, with varying life experiences and priorities and
he needs to get to know people as individuals.
Assistant Mayor Coffey asked for more specific details in his experience with
gangs and according to his resume that in Waukesha he worked with the
police and Hispanic organizations to make headway.
Mr. Payne began working with Casa de Esperanza, which was an entity
working primarily with Hispanics and did not interact often with the city. He
worked with them on the social aspect and achieved more interaction with
them and the community. They had issues with the downtown area due to a
lack of business and citizens not wanting to visit the downtown. They located
a police substation close to the downtown area, which made it a focal point
for patrol cars and more welcoming for the citizens.
Council Member Ensey asked what his definition of economic development is
and how he sees Yakima involved in that.
Mr. Payne replied in Franklin, they created a position to bring expertise to the
area and change the tax base of a bedroom community to something else
such as retail or industrial. They ultimately bought 500 acres of farmland,
which they turned into a business park that was a huge success. In
Waukesha they created a position to be an economic catalyst in the
downtown area. In Rio Rancho, the city decided to create a downtown in the
middle of the desert. They built a city hall and event center in the desert to
entice businesses as a starting point. The main effort was recruitment, and
he was instrumental in getting Hewlett Packard to relocate a call center
there. Something often missed in the economic discussion is the importance
of assisting in the expansion of current businesses in the community.
Council Member Adkison noted we have a diverse population with a high
percentage of Latinos in our community, a swing in income bases, and a
segment of the population that is concerned about the city and how they
think things should be done. She asked how he would reach out to the
community to understand and to get us on the same page.
Mr. Payne said he started a strategic planning process in Rancho Rio that
involved the community. They did a multi - services citizen survey about the
community and issues, held neighborhood meetings, conducted individual
surveys and started social media and web -based surveys to involve younger
people. The city was also given a piece of land in the middle of a residential
area, which they made into a park. However, instead of hiring a consultant to
design the park, they involved the surrounding community. Therefore, the
park design met the needs of the surrounding community.
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Council Member Ettl asked with all the hires he has made, if he was doing
the interview, what question would provide the most information and then
answer that question.
Mr. Payne replied that when he hires somebody, he puts together all the
necessary educational needs and looks for what really fits. Then he
discusses what kind of person they are, can they bring leadership to the
position, what is the culture they would be comfortable working with, how are
they going to add value and what innovation do they bring to the table. To
answer that, he stated what you see here today is exactly what you are going
to get tomorrow. What you are going to get is someone who is open,
inclusive, willing to listen, take risks within reason, and willing to be
innovative.
Council Member Lover asked how he would approach the short and long -
range planning process and what system would he use to set goals and
objectives.
Mr. Payne stated he is a good advocate of strategic planning and visioning.
It's not only going through the visioning process but making sure everyone
who is involved understands what the vision is. One of his favorite authors,
Jim Collins, wrote a book From Good to Great. His interpretation of the
book is every incremental decision is made with a vision in mind; someone
monitors and makes sure that everyone in the organization understands and
makes decisions with that vision in mind.
Council Member Edler mentioned he read From Good to Great and there is a
supplement for non- profits in government where the social sector is told they
need to run more like a business, yet most businesses fail. How has he
helped communities navigate that issue?
Mr. Payne shared that there are certain aspects you can run like a business,
but there are differences. One of things he struggles with the most is the
"hedgehog principal," where government has to be good at everything, but he
thinks you can focus on core issues.
Mayor Cawley asked Mr. Payne for his strengths and weaknesses.
Mr. Payne replied that he tries to maintain a good knowledge and attitude
and a general approach to things, in the true renaissance sort of way. He
knows he couldn't be a police chief or a public works director, but he knows
enough to manage them and to make sure they are carrying out their
responsibilities. He listens to what they say because they are the experts.
He believes continuing education is important, as is keeping his knowledge
base and trying to improve himself.
I/ Assistant Mayor Coffey asked about his approach to short and long -range
planning. How does he establish goals, and how does he monitor it?
Mr. Payne believes it is a matter of establishing the strategies you want to
follow, then breaking them down and making people accountable. There are
consequences for not meeting goals and recognition for achieving them. He
thinks he may come across as being too easy going, but he has a very
specific standard that he holds people accountable to and no one misses
that. Assistant Mayor Coffey asked how far out his last long -ranqe plan was.
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Mr. Payne responded that his last plan is still in place in Rio Rancho; it was
for 20 years, with annual reviews and a 5 -year renewal.
Council Member Ensey referred to the countrywide discussion of comparing
public vs. private compensation and asked why he thinks we are having that
discussion.
Mr. Payne thinks part of the reason for the discussion is due to a general
mistrust of government. Part of the mistrust is a trend toward treating
citizens of the community as if they were consumers of a particular goods or
service or as a transactional relationship. Government gets taxes in return
for streets or other services, and citizens need to be more engaged in the
process of government, more of a partner, instead of a one -way consumer.
Council Member Adkison asked him to pick a couple of the adjectives he
used in his resume to describe himself, on which he would hang his success.
Mr. Payne shared that he is easy to get along with and adventuresome. It is
important to get along with people, even if they don't agree with you and it
takes the ability to empathize with someone to understand their problem.
Part of being adventuresome is to be innovative and take risks occasionally
that are within the bounds of government propriety.
Council Member Ettl noted we had a Tong -term city manager and asked what
his approach would be on winning people over and getting programs
adjusted.
•
Mr. Payne stated in Waukesha, four of the department heads were elected.
His approach was to understand their issues and show he was there to help
them do their job better, which may take reorganization and changes in
responsibilities. He is not hesitant to do what needs to be done. There is no
question that the people who work for him know what is expected of them
and that he is there to help them do what is necessary with knowledge and
understanding.
Mayor Cawley stated Mr. Payne has a few minutes to share anything else
that he would like to.
Mr. Payne asked if they could come up with one thing that would define his •
first three months here as being successful, what would that be?
Council responses:
Cawley: He thinks coming in quickly and learning what adjustments need to
be made will define future success. The new city manager will need the
support of department directors and the staff as they keep this city running.
Ettl: As the City currently has a number of acting positions, the new city
manager would need to hire a police chief, fire chief, and an economic
development director. A certain measure of progress on those hires would
be an indication of some success.
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Ensey: He would like to hear what kind of culture the new city manager
thinks we have at city hall, what works well, what needs to be improved, and
how we should fix it.
Edler:. This is an organization in motion, with significant generational
opportunities and projects in our mix that are already well down the line, and
if three months later that is moving forward, that would be a definition of
success.
Adkison: The City can't afford someone that requires training. At the end of
three months, she would like to see that we are all moving down the road at
the same pace.
•
Coffey: She thinks it is important that whoever comes in and fills the position
is recognized as a leader and the staff is comfortable with that individual's
leadership role.
Lover: He believes the new city manager will have to learn and adjust, and
that we can change, but it can't happen too quickly.
Mr. Payne thanked the Council for inviting him here and is honored to be
considered. He is confident he can do the job and believes he has the skills
and knowledge that will be valuable to this City.
Timothy Hacker
Experience:
• Has over 20 years experience in local government in a variety of
fields including planning, economic development, and key roles as
city manager and city administrator —most recently from Mesquite,
Nevada.
• Mesquite is a fast - growing city along 1 -15 in southern Nevada with
good gaming and recreation development opportunities, and a
retirement community with an increase in population during the winter
months.
• He is a dedicated public servant, which he inherited from his father
who was a city street superintendent.
• He learned from his father the appreciation of public service —it's not
about you or your neighbor, but about everyone together and the
service levels the community expects.
• A primary role as city manager is to work effectively and understand
public service levels, where we need to focus, establish clear goals
and objectives and marshal resources to make your staff successful.
• He is interested in pursuing a career in Yakima.
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Council Member Lover asked about his management approach when
handling grievances.
Mr. Hacker said it is important to be open and inclusive. The first step is to
talk with the manager or supervisor, then listen to the advice from legal staff.
Next is to bring everyone in and find out what is behind the issue as
sometimes grievances are masking other concerns within a division.
Council Member Edler asked why he is interested in our community and to
give us his first impression.
Mr. Hacker replied that Yakima is a community with multiple seasons. The
agriculture cornponent gets back to his roots, as he grew up in Iowa working
on farms.
Mayor Cawley asked how he views the role of city manager and city council
in the council - manager form of government and how he would put that
together.
Mr. Hacker responded that it is always crucial to say council- manager as that
is the emphasis. Council is the legislative body working with constituents,
which makes them tuned into the elements of the community. As the council
brings up concerns, the manager would have an open discussion about what
is imperative and what levels of service are needed. The city manager would
work with council to help define and add clarity and then act on those
charges.
Assistant Mayor Coffey noted on his resume that they had funding for police
to keep staffing levels and how would he handle gang problems with a
shortage of police.
Mr. Hacker shared that any place that tells you they don't have a gang
problem is not facing the reality - -be it a smaller community with little or no
resources. In Kewanee, it was working on street crimes and identifying and
focusing patrols to have someone working closer with that element. Dealing
with graffiti also becomes a quality of life issue. They had parks crews
armed with materials to quickly eradicate graffiti within 24 hours. While he
was in Mesquite, they engaged a multi - department drug task force agency
along with ICE efforts and their police force became cross - deputized to go
after gang members.
Council Member Ensey asked what his definition of economic development is
and how he sees Yakima involved in that.
Mr. Hacker stated that he thinks government doesn't need to be the means
to every end. Government needs to let business owners invest and expand
or assist them and introduce them to the right financial institutions to help
them achieve their goals and aspirations. His experience has shown the best
policies are to work with what you have, grow what you have, find outside
interests and be prepared to act on opportunities.
Council Member Adkison noted we have a diverse population with a high
percentage of Latinos in our community, a swing in income bases, and a
segment of the population that is concerned about the city and how they
think things should be done. She asked how he would reach out to the
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community to understand and to get us on the same page. Mr. Hacker
• discussed how this country is faced with embracing new immigration, which
is predominately Hispanic. Kewanee is a great example of a melting pot and
finding ways to develop an understanding of how to live together and benefit
the community as different groups bring strengths. The key is to understand
what is going on in the community and try to incorporate their concerns into
our strategies so they feel invited and welcomed to the table. There isn't one
direct way to do it; this takes everyone to reach out and bring those concerns
to the table.
Council Member Ettl asked Mr. Hacker to provide an example of how thinking
outside the box has helped him in previous jobs and continuing a pattern of
success here in Yakima.
Mr. Hacker expressed that when you come to a new community, you ask a
lot of questions. The one response he does not like to hear is that we've
always done it that way. Those individuals need to be challenged. Why
does it take this many steps? Is it resources limiting or inhibiting success?
There is a need to engage employees and customers to help you as long as
it results in better business. Council Member Ensey mentioned one of the
problems is that long -term entrenched practices can be a threat. Mr. Hacker
responded that he thinks it's situational or generational. He has always
been challenged with doing business differently, sees that as a plus, and is
not afraid to seek new ways to do things better.
Council Member Lover asked how he would approach the short and long
range planning process and what system would he use to monitor the
progress.
Mr. Hacker noted in looking at the City's Priority of Government budget
model, we need to define where it is successful, does it need fine tuning and
whether it is short term or annually. In developing strategies, you need to
work with the council. Without clarity you are not going to achieve anything;
hopefully he can help facilitate that.
Council Member Edler noted Mr. Hacker used a phrase earlier about coming
from a distressed community and thinks all communities are feeling that due
to the current economy. He recognizes we aren't financially capable of
caring for much of what is important to our community and that Mr. Hacker
has done his research and understands our Priority of Government model.
Therefore, he asked what Mr. Hacker foresees in the future of stepping into a
situation like ours where vacant department director positions need to be
filled and other areas need important redefining without tipping over the cart.
Mr. Hacker sees it as a function of stabilizing staff and resources. With the
previous economy, if you wanted something you could get it. By the same
token, you had pretty clear objectives in being fiscally conservative, which
sets you up for success and will help you through these last few years of
recession. He thinks we need to continue to stabilize and maybe find new
revenue streams, direct those appropriately and garner community support.
When he started working in Mesquite, he began by closing out that budget
year and had revenues above expectations. Those dollars were put into
reserves to benefit the community while stressing to the unions the
importance of public service.
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Mayor Cawley asked Mr. Hacker to explain his strengths and weaknesses.
Mr. Hacker replied that his strength is to be respectful. He respects staff for
their experience and input and expects that in return. He has also learned the
importance of delegation and a two -way street of communication and trust.
He would embrace annual evaluations, which was lacking in Mesquite due to
Nevada laws. It is valuable to get clarity from council members as a group
whether in public or executive session.
Assistant Mayor Coffey asked Mr. Hacker if he had any experience with
outsourcing of positions and to describe his technique or philosophy.
Mr. Hacker responded that when he began working in Kewanee, the city had
recently outsourced its sewer plant operation, which was in the process of
being finalized. Once this was finished, they had a reverse osmosis project
with their water division. Using the model already in place with the sewer
plant, they studied the situation and had to outsource positions.
Council Member Ensey referred to the countrywide discussion of comparing
public vs. private compensation and asked why he thinks we are having that
discussion.
Mr. Hacker believes that when you are in the private sector you give up
something -- potential major earnings for consistent earnings. There is more
risk and more reward and during the good economy the private sector didn't
give government employees a second thought. With the downturn in the
economy, the private sector sees the consistency and stability of government
jobs and has become a little envious when they see private sector jobs
disappear.
Council Member Adkison asked him to pick a couple of the adjectives he
used in his resume to describe himself, on which he would hang his success.
Mr. Hacker thinks he is energetic. There are times at the end of the day he
may question why he chose this particular field; however, he reminds himself
about what interested him in being a public servant and feels reenergized. He
likes a challenge and you need a high level of energy to take on the daunting
challenges in public service today.
Council Member Ettl asked about his kids.
Mr. Hacker mentioned he has two children, one living in Cedar Rapids, and
gainfully employed. His oldest son is living in the Denver area, and is a
budding entrepreneur. Council Member Ettl stated the reason he asked is
there are many communities where the kids move away, whether it is due to
the age of the population or because of a major agricultural - related industry
that relies on migrant labor. How do you preserve the good and move
forward at the same time. Mr. Hacker noted that every community has that
question. As an example, with a global economy, his son, who is an
entrepreneur, can work from any location. We have to retain the core values
of a community to retain the right types of people.
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Mayor Cawley stated Mr. Hacker has a few minutes to share anything else
that he would like to.
Mr. Hacker noted when he comes to a community it becomes his home town.
Every place he has lived he and his wife are involved in the community. He
has been a volunteer football coach and his wife volunteered for a Nevada
beauty pageant. He is also involved in Rotary as it is important to give back
to the community. He appreciates the opportunity and hopes if chosen, he
can show the value of the council- manager form of government to the
community.
Donald Cooper
Experience:
• He began his career in Craig, Colorado as City Manager at age 26.
He was the youngest person working for Craig at the time and the
only one with a college degree. He experienced everything from
cleaning sewers, driving snow plows and going to crime scenes. He
has extensive experience in finance and capital projects.
• He worked as town manager of Castle Rock, Colorado, for three
years, which went through an election upheaval. His contract was
terminated without cause after he recommended budget cuts.
• He was City Manager of Port St. Lucie, Florida for 20 years.
• During the last 2 -3 years at Port St. Lucie, the city council became
very dysfunctional, focusing mostly on internal politics and he spent
more time on politics than governance; therefore, he resigned
voluntarily
• He worked as a CEO for a friend with an engineering firm for 1 1 /2
years. Due to a perceived conflict of interest, he left the firm
voluntarily rather than causing any dissension.
• He wanted to be a city manager again and applied in Yakima since it
is the right size city and complex enough to challenge him. He would
like to return to the western part of the United States
Council Member Lover noticed in his materials that his management style is
practical and versatile and he tailors his approach. He asked what his
management approach would be with grievances.
Mr. Cooper responded he would be fair.
Council Member Edler noted he is a strong advocate for the council- manager
form of government and asked what his transition period would be when
stepping into the shoes of a long -time manager.
Mr. Cooper responded that his first job as administrator was replacing
someone who had been there 14 years. Additionally, the previous manager
in Port St. Lucie had been there 8 years. He was able to make the transition
and thinks the strong mayor and council manager form of government is an
issue of personalities. He believes it is about the council and management
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team working together to improve the community and the form of
government doesn't matter.
Mayor Cawley asked how he views the role of city manager and city council
in the council- manager role of government and how he would put that
together.
Mr. Cooper says it is the council's role to develop policies and the city
manager's role to execute those to the fullest degree possible. It is also the
manager's job to explain to the council when a policy is illegal or something
can't be implemented. It is the job of city manager to make the council
successful.
Assistant Mayor Coffey asked how he would approach planning as far as
short and long -term planning and the goals he would set in that process.
Mr. Cooper stated he would focus on long -term sustainability, economics,
human resources and the community as a whole by planning and improving
credibility within the community. He thinks it is important to get the support
basis developed for the plan so it can be implemented. Assistant Mayor
Coffey asked how he would do that. Mr. Cooper explained he would meet
with stakeholders and members of the community and provide council with
as much information as possible to make a good decision. He believes the
credibility of council and staff is the number one priority.
Council Member Ensey asked what his definition of economic development is
and what role does city hall play.
Mr. Cooper indicated his definition is creation in jobs and the tax base that
allows the community to develop the quality of life that it wants. It is
providing good jobs that allow the business community to make a profit and
survive at a reasonable rate of taxation. Government can't do everything for
everybody, but what it can do should be done at a high level as it is the
reason why government exists.
Council Member Adkison noted we have a diverse population with a high
percentage of Latinos in our community, a swing in income bases, and a
segment of the population that is concerned about the city and how they
think things should be done. She asked how he would reach out to the
community to understand and to get us on the same page.
Mr. Cooper would talk to the people; he thinks diversity is not a negative.
Council Member Adkison responded that she doesn't think it is a negative but
that we haven't done a good job of getting everyone in the room. Mr. Cooper
indicated you seek win -win situations for the various issues, but it goes back
to building the creditability of the organization and the city council. Then
when you meet with those people, they are prepared to take you at face
value, especially, if there have been situations in the past that may have
created credibility issues or where there are opposing economic issues. He
believes you invest in one area of the community in one year, and another
area in the next year. As people understand and see progress being made,
you build upon that success.
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Council Member Ettl expressed his interest in the success story of Port St.
Lucie -- from a city with a population of 60,000 with septic systems and
• citizens doing their own thing to having a vision for what the city could
become. One of the criticisms of Yakima is, where is the vision for this city?
The council's job is to set policy, but in his time at Port St. Lucie, what was
the relationship with council that helped establish the vision of what that city
could become? Did they have the idea and he made it happen? How do you
express your concept of vision in conjunction with the council's concepts of
vision?
Mr. Cooper indicated it was a little bit of both and they included the private
sector in the process. Port St. Lucie did an analysis on their present
economy and strengths, then made a conscious decision that they were a
construction -based economy and had a good quality of life for raising a
family with affordable housing. They also looked at their location and
determined they were a good location for warehousing, transportation and
assembly of parts and components as they were within four hours from any
place in Florida. This was an opportunity to bring in Tight manufacturing,
such as a Wal -Mart distribution center. Therefore, they had high -tech jobs
which required a lot of training and low -tech jobs that provided a sustainable
economy. They conducted a three -day retreat with private and public
sectors, looked at the facts, decided the direction to take and made that
investment. They made people welcome and sold their community.
Council Member Lover advised that the City implemented .a Priority of
Government budget and asked if he would consider implementing a zero -
based budget.
Mr. Cooper stated he would consider it but is not sure it is needed. He would
focus on revenues and expenditures and work on sustainability. One of the
concepts of zero -based budgeting is to look at the services you are providing
and see if they are necessary. He can justify any service at zero but the
question is whether we need it.
Council Member Edler pointed out in Mr. Cooper's resume he calls himself
results oriented, low tolerance for bureaucracy, fair but demanding and takes
this to a level where he has performance contracts with department heads.
He asked Mr. Cooper to explain this concept.
Mr. Cooper replied that he reviews with department heads what he wants
them to achieve in the next year and what they want to achieve; then they
negotiate a contract. At the end of the year, they review the contract with
periodic updates throughout the year. Government is not a business in the
private business sense, but needs to adopt business principles in the way it
operates. Employees need feed back to know whether or not they are doing
a good job
Mayor Cawley asked Mr. Cooper to explain his strengths and weaknesses.
Mr. Cooper believes his strengths are finance and capital management and
that he is good at mentoring the staff. He thinks his weakness is that he is
not political and is overly blunt, and is not concerned about being politically
correct. He doesn't tolerate fools very well, but at the same time, he doesn't
expect everyone to understand government. He is not a bureaucratic type
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and makes decisions quickly. If he makes a bad one, he corrects it and
moves on.
Assistant Mayor Coffey asked what he thinks is our most burning issue and
what would he do about addressing it.
Mr. Cooper explained, as a community, the burning issue is deciding where
you want to go. He thinks we have an outstanding foundation. Obviously
there are some crime issues; however, that is a perspective issue. There are
economic development and downtown issues that have to be addressed, but
addressed citywide. The mill site is an enormous opportunity, as well as
diversity in the community which lends itself to issues that can provide
economic opportunities. Yakima has had a lot of change in transitioning from
an agriculture type of community to something more and needs to take the
next step. It isn't a negative one but part of a maturation process in any
community.
Council Member Ensey referred to the countrywide discussion of comparing
public vs. private compensation and asked why he thinks we are having that
discussion.
Mr. Cooper explained the private sector has seen reductions in pension
benefits, salaries and job opportunities but they haven't seen it in
government until this year. Government tends to go in and out of a recession
later than the private sector. They see government workers with no impacts
on pensions or salaries and that they haven't taken cuts that many in the
private sector have and there is anger about that. There have also been
abuses in the public sector where people have had excessive salaries,
payouts or contracts, which may have been done in better times but now
cannot be changed.
Council Member Adkison asked him to pick a couple of the adjectives he
used in his resume to describe himself, on which he would hang his success.
Mr. Cooper thinks people would say he was fair, that he did the right thing
and that he is results oriented. He is most proud of Port St. Lucie's staff,
who initially were considered to be ineffective and he turned them into a "can
do" staff. When staff asks what they should do, he says to do the right thing.
It might not necessarily be the most politically correct thing or one that will
get you the right headline, but just do the right thing.
Council Member Ettl wondered how Mr. Cooper would go about addressing
gang problems since he comes from one of the safest cities in Florida.
Mr. Cooper responded that perception many times is reality and you have to
change that perception and do so in a real way. In Port St. Lucie, they tried
to provide jobs for people, including people who didn't have a lot of skills, and
provide recreational programs for young adults and teenagers so they had
something to do. At the same time, they were very aggressive with litter,
code enforcement, criminal and gang activity. The most important thing is to
have good leadership and commitment in the police department. He
provided the resources necessary for them to do their job in.
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July 12, 2011
SPECIAL MEETING -- INTERVIEWS OF CITY MANAGER CANDIDATES
Mayor Cawley asked if there was anything more he would like to tell or ask
the Council.
Mr. Cooper asked what the council expects out of a new manager.
Council responses:
Ettl: He noted we are coming out of a mixed blessing of 32 -year tenured city
manager who had tremendous skills in budget and finance. Yet people
believe familiarity breeds contempt. The community looked at a new form of
government, which might come around again. He hopes to see someone
who works with the staff and council to gain their confidence so that a
change of government is the last thing we need and people are excited about
our system and future.
Adkison: She thinks her expectation for the short term is that the new city
manager would get to know the community and people that work in the city.
Then identify shortfalls, bring those to council's attention, and get moving on
that. It is also important that council understands the new city manager's
motivation and the changes he wants to make. That he would have open
dialogue with the managers and council and build something strong.
Ensey: He would be interested in the new city, - manager's take on the culture
at city hall. He is excited about having someone that isn't from the state of
Washington. He sees benefits to having someone from outside the state.
He thinks there are parts of city hall thatlare .effective and areas that need
work. After the first few months, he would' like to know what the new city
manager thinks of the culture and how he would -fix it.
Coffey: She is looking for a city manager who is progressive, has vision and
leadership to bring the entire community together. Someone who can further
economic development and is prepared to put a vision together with the
community and establish bench marks to measure our success.
Cawley: The expectation is to look at the organization and see where we are
coming up short and to provide the best services for the citizens. Also, to
work with the media in getting our message out and involve the community in
our accomplishments.
Edier: Everything rises and falls on leadership and this is a key moment in
the life of this community. This is an incredible community that was in midst
of renaissance before the economy turned, and navigating the rest of this
new normal will require great leadership in this next season. This is an
important opportunity for us and we are looking for someone who can help us
recapture that renaissance and move us forward so we can be proud of our
community.
Lover: The new city manager needs to be ready to learn quickly and adjust.
•
He has listened to some outstanding processes and ideas from all the
candidates and is encouraged and excited.
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44 July12,2011
SPECIAL MEETING -- INTERVIEWS OF CITY MANAGER CANDIDATES
•
Mr. Cooper thanked the council for the opportunity of interviewing and
commended Mr. Morales as an extremely gracious host.
2. Other Business
None
3. Adjournment
COFFEY MOVED AND LOVER SECONDED TO ADJOURN TO A SPECIAL
MEETING ON JULY 13 AT 3:30 P.M. FOR EXECUTIVE SESSION TO
EVALUATE THE QUALIFICATIONS OF AN APPLICANT FOR PUBLIC
EMPLOYMENT. The motion carried by unanimous voice vote. The meeting
adjourned at 3:51 p.m.
READ AND CERTIFIED ACCURATE BY Xc��c,�e g: 2 ) 63-- F15/
'COUNCIL ME '':ER DATE
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` 'COUNCIL MEMBE' D ' TE
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ATTEST: ` ' *',
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CITY CLERK 4 V 'e,' MICAH CAWLEY, AYOR
'k\\ ‘I'V _ ,
Minutes prepared by Sonya :�� `''=e. A CD and DVD of this meeting are available in the City
Clerk's Office
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