SEQUIM — Mike East, the Sequim planning commissioner running for Sequim City Council in the Nov. 3 Clallam County election, said he is concerned about a lack of openness in the city’s search for a manager.
“Certainly by now, the community should expect some update to the process, certainly not names and bios, but where are we to date,” East said in a prepared statement.
He’s filed a request to review e-mails exchanged between City Council members and candidates for the city manager position, which has been vacant since Bill Elliott was fired May 5, 2008.
After an unsuccessful search for a new chief that lasted until the end of 2008, the council hired Waldron & Co., a Seattle recruiter, for a $20,000 fee.
Time line
And in a report to the council last spring, the firm laid out its time line: advertising the position through June, vetting candidates through July, finalists identified and brought to town for interviews in August, a boss on board by mid-September.
The council, meanwhile, has held closed sessions to talk about candidates and has disclosed little about the hunt except that it opted to raise the position’s maximum salary to $130,000.
East, “concerned by what appears to be a lack of transparency with the recruitment and selection process so far,” made an oblique reference to the four council members — Ken Hays, Susan Lorenzen, Erik Erichsen, Mayor Laura Dubois — who, four months after taking office, formed the majority that terminated Elliott.
“When you have a publicized council majority at the helm, it’s easy for a council member to think he/she can cut out the community and employee involvement during the evaluation of city manager finalists.”
East “would be extremely upset if any councilor was . . . trying to self-recruit, cut a deal or negotiate with any applicant on their own.”
Dubois dismissed such notions.
“I don’t know what he’s basing that on,” she said. “We’re going through Waldron” and plan to hold a meet-and-greet reception for the finalists, with city staff and residents invited.
‘Not keeping secrets’
“We are not keeping secrets. We are respecting the candidates’ privacy” by not disclosing information about them. Most are still employed in other cities, the mayor added, and they don’t want it known that they’re seeking the Sequim helm.
Another closed session is planned for 4 p.m. Aug. 10, Dubois said, during which the council members will discuss a shortened list of candidates that Waldron will provide.
The projected date for three or four finalists’ visit to Sequim is Aug. 18, according to Waldron’s time line.
Don Hall, East’s opponent in the City Council race, said he has no complaint about the way the recruitment process is progressing.
“I have absolutely no problems,” he said, adding that if elected, he expects to get along well with the whole council.
As for the members’ e-mails East has requested, City Attorney Craig Ritchie said he’ll have them ready sometime next week, with names and other identifying information omitted.
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley reporter Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-681-2391 or at diane.urbani@peninsuladaily news.com.
