CLAREMONT — The City Council this week authorized the mayor to reach out to recruiting firms that could assist the city in reviewing applications and vetting candidates to serve as the next city manager.
The council met Tuesday for about 90 minutes to talk about the strategy going forward after City Manager Nancy Bates resigned last week.
“This job is going to be a tough job to fill,” Assistant Mayor Deb Matteau said. “The city has some major issues and whoever comes here will find that out quickly.”
Bates, the fourth city manager since 2016, has been the full-time city manager since January. She has agreed to stay on through the summer while the council seeks a replacement. Bates has been hired as Enfield’s new finance director, according to a recording of the June 1, Enfield Selectboard meeting.
Of the last four city managers two — Ryan McNutt and Yoshi Manale — were fired. The other two, Ed Morris — who now serves as Enfield town manager — and Bates, resigned.
During Tuesday’s discussion, councilors tossed around different ideas on the best way to review and select a candidate before they voted to look at search firms and get input from Shannon Thibodeau, the city’s human resources manager.
Ideas from the council included forming a committee with two councilors and community members, using the online job search and employment engine LinkedIn, or giving the responsibility directly to the nine-member council.
“I think we need all the help we can get to find someone willing to take on this challenge,” Matteau said. “I think it is best to go with a professional search firm.”
Matteau said she remembers being on a hiring committee made up of community members that reviewed applications and brought finalists to the council. Instead of hiring a search firm the city decided to “go it alone,” she said.
“I didn’t think that search was very successful,” Matteau said.
One of the factors affecting the council’s approach is the absence of a finance director. That position has been vacant since Bates, who stayed involved in the finance department, was appointed interim city manager last April when the council fired former City Manager Yoshi Manale.
“I think Ms. Bates was set up to fail in dual roles,” Councilor Nick Koloski said. “I fully believe that was a contributing factor (to her resigning.)”
The council also discussed possibly restructuring the roles of the city manager and finance director, and having an assistant city manager instead of a finance director. How much the council can do without going through a charter change, which needs voter approval, was not clear.
“We would of course need to speak to our attorney,” Mayor Dale Girard said Wednesday morning.
Councilor Chris Irish thought the best avenue was for the council to conduct interviews and make the selection, not a committee. Though he voted for having the mayor contact search firms, Irish said they will only bring in some “high-priced talent” that will leave after two years.
The problem of going through four managers in 10 years is one created by the council, Irish said.
“It is up to us to be involved in how we fix it,” he said, “I don’t want us to be off the hook.”
Irish said Guy Santagate was successful for the 15 years from 2001 to 2016 because the council let him do his job and if any individual councilor tried to micromanage, he would tell them to “take a hike.”
Irish also said he knows councilors discuss issues about making motions prior to meetings and add things to the agenda in violation of the charter, which he has brought up but to no avail.
“You cannot deny that,” Irish said without naming individual councilors. “We have to change and respect the rules of the (city) charter. Unless we let the city manager do their job, I don’t care who we hire, they are not going to make it.”
Councilor Wayne Hemingway said he was offended by those accusations.
“Where is your proof,” he said to Irish. “Accusations are unfounded.”
Koloski, who suggested a committee of two councilors and three community members to conduct the initial candidate search, also did not like suggestions that he was crossing a line by demanding information from the city manager.
“We need information to make decisions.” Koloski said. “We need information to make proper decisions. If you think anyone is overstepping (their authority) please, step up and say something.”
On Wednesday, Girard said he would contact three firms, maybe more, to get an idea of the cost and what services each can provide. Municipal Resource Inc, Rethink Local in Vermont and Municipal Solutions of Arizona are the three he has chosen as the last two were involved in helping Upper Valley towns recruit leaders.
Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com.
