CLAREMONT — Residents who want to help pick the next city manager will have a chance to be part of the process.
On Wednesday, the City Council voted, 6-1, to establish a local search committee to do the work that the council initially considered being done by a professional search firm.
The committee of nine will have four members from the public; councilors Jonathan Stone, Claire Lessard and Assistant Mayor Allen Damren; and two city department heads.
Residents interested in serving on the committee have until April 18 to submit an application at city hall.
The search committee plan won the backing of the council following a presentation Tuesday night by the chairman of the Sullivan County Commissioners, Jeff Barrette, who told the council the county had used local search committees successfully on three separate occasions, including the hiring of County Manager Derek Ferland.
Mayor Charlene Lovett said Thursday that the search committee will develop the candidate profile after getting input from residents and city employees on qualifications, then post the job and review the resumes that come in. The decision by the council on Wednesday states that the committee will choose six candidates and conduct two rounds of interviews before recommending three finalists to the full council for another of interviews.
At Wednesday’s meeting, Councilor Abigail Kier stated her opposition to the model of relying primarily on residents for the search instead of using a professional firm. The council had prepared a request for qualifications for search firms and received four submissions. Three were eliminated from consideration, leaving GovHR of Northbrook, Ill.
“I would not underestimate what a professional company could do for us and what their intangibles offer in their experience and reach,” Kier said. “We really need to think about having experienced people help us with this.”
The committee also will rely on the city’s insurance company, Primex, for advice.
Councilor Lessard said the roughly $2,000 to $3,000 it may cost the city for Primex’s services is a better option than the cost for GovHR, which would be between $17,000 and $20,000.
“Nothing has been said about the cost of this thing,” Lessard said. “We have no money in the budget. What are we impacting by spending all that money?”
The search for the last city manager, Ryan McNutt, included a professional search firm and a 15-member citizens committee.
McNutt was hired in February 2017 and fired by the council in January of this year.
Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com.
