PORT TOWNSEND — The Port Townsend City Council will decide on Monday whether to adopt recommendations from a community task force for the ideal city manager candidate.
The City Council heard an overview of the draft during a special meeting Monday, where Mayor Deborah Stinson commended the group for its work.
“This is a critical step in what we’re doing here and I hope all of the task force members and the community know how much we appreciate it,” Stinson said.
It’s part of the city’s effort to replace its current City Manager, David Timmons, who will retire in June. Hired 20 years ago, Timmons is the first and only city manager in Port Townsend.
Catharine Robinson, the former mayor who led the task force, told the council that the group used surveys filled out by Port Townsend residents to influence its discussion.
She told the council that what the task force heard from the public was similar to traits that were identified in the council’s strategic plan.
“It seems that you’re all thinking alike, the council and the public,” she said.
The task force met during 10 public meetings since October, conducted a public survey in which 348 people responded and led a public conversation in November.
The document the group produced, titled “The Ideal Port Townsend City Manager Candidate,” says the ideal candidate will have excellent communication skills, will be accessible to the community, actively learn about and participate in Port Townsend’s culture and foster a positive, innovative and collaborative organizational culture that engages and empowers employees.
The first “opportunity for strategic leadership” cited is the need for more housing.
“Housing and jobs came up a lot, a lot, a lot,” Robinson said.
The next city manager will need to work with various groups to create and implement strategies to increase access to housing for all residents, she said.
Others challenges identified including the need for living-wage jobs, climate change, strengthening the economy, the city’s infrastructure, transportation.
The documents calls out the need for “demographic diversity” as well.
The city manager will need to address the needs created by the city’s “high proportion of older residents” while working to attract young families to the community.
The task force also identified its recommended next steps.
It encourages the city to foster public participation and to provide frequent updates on the recruitment process trough newspapers, radio, the city’s website and through mail.
The group also asks the city to appoint members of the task force to serve as part of an interview panel once candidates are selected.
“When we had the public conversation in particular, there were voices there that wanted to be part of an interview with a city manager candidate,” Robinson said.
“It seemed like this task force group had heard the broadest public input and could be the most informed to carry that forward.”
On Monday, the City Council will consider adopting a recruitment timeline and authorizing the city manager to select a consultant for planning services. The contract would not exceed $15,000.
Council member Michelle Sandoval questioned whether the city should consider hiring a firm to search for candidates.
“Originally we were going by way of not, because so many people knew about the job opening,” she said. “Then somewhere along the way there seems there might be a bent going toward a … recruitment company.”
Robinson said the committee did not make a recommendation about a headhunter. Individual members expressed that the city should hire a recruitment firm, but there wasn’t wide discussion about it, she said.
“It was not discussed per se by the task force,” Robinson said.
Robinson then spoke during public comment as an individual, urging the City Council to use a headhunter.
“It also gives you some insurance about finding a good candidate fit and I just think it would really be supportive and helpful for you,” she said.
“When I was on City Council and we talked about this some years ago, that was the direction that we were going in and felt would be the best direction.
“I appreciate staff’s and the mayor’s efforts to avoid the costs of that, but I think at this point it won’t be a costly as it would have been … and I think it would help find ways for the public to be informed and engaged in the next steps.”
________
Reporter Jesse Major can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56250, or at jmajor@peninsuladailynews.com.
