ABSTRACT: International City/County Management Association (ICMA), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, was founded in 1914. ICMA is the “premier local government leadership and management organization. Its mission is to create excellence in local governance by advocating and developing the professional management of local government worldwide.”
Links to Articles, namely Professional Local Government Management
and Recruitment Guidelines for Selecting a Local Government Administrator (Recruitment Guidelines Handbook), are provided. Among the most significant content, as follows: “Recruiting and selecting a local government administrator is one of the most important responsibilities of a local governing body. It requires careful planning, astute evaluation of candidates, and a clear understanding of the relationship between the local government and the administrator.” And “For the recruitment process to be successful, local government leaders must provide the following:
• Strong, consistent political leadership.
• A well organized and coordinated recruitment process.
• A plan for administering the affairs of the local government while the recruitment process is under way.
• A timetable that ensures prompt, comprehensive recruitment and guards against impulsive and premature action.”
Importantly, valuable sections include Appoint an interim administrator and Summary Checklist and Timetable. Lastly, as stated in the Conclusion, “If recruitment of a local government administrator is conducted according to the guidelines outlined in this document, the chances of developing a positive and beneficial long-term relationship among the council, the administrator, and the community are greatly enhanced.”
REFERENCES:
Professional Local Government Management
Today’s elected local government officials can better fulfill their legislative or policy-making roles by delegating the day-to-day management of the municipality to an appointed professional administrator.
Recruitment Guidelines For Selecting a Local Government Administrator, International City/County Management Association (ICMA), February 2001 (28 pages)
ADDENDUM:
Ethics
At the very core of ICMA is the mission to promote an ethical culture in local government. Since the development of the ICMA Code of Ethics in 1924, the organization has built an extensive collection of advice on ethics issues, case studies and model local government documents. This knowledge base has been translated into training courses, consulting services and ethics textbooks and other educational publications designed to further the organization’s mission throughout the world.
2 comments:
Ojai city manager Baker explained that the deficit stems largely from the fact that Ojai will have had three city managers in one fiscal year. Former city manager Jere Kersnar’s controversial contract left him with a severance package that, according to city records, equaled the remainder of his salary. Kersnar has received regular paychecks from the city since Sept. 7, 2010 and they will continue through June 6, 2011. Along with the regular salary, Kersnar is also being paid 100 percent of his accrued vacation pay, 50 percent of his sick leave pay, and a housing allowance. These benefits combined with his regular salary will equal $198,262.28 through the nine-month period he will be receiving checks.
Records also show that after Kersnar was fired by the city, Baker received his wage of $65 an hour with no benefits. According to Susie Mears, Ojai city’s finance director, Ojai’s new city manager, Robert Clark, is salaried at $160,000 a year. The combination of wages paid to Kersnar, Baker and subsequently Clark, puts a serious dent in the city’s pocketbook
Ojai is also a tourist destination city; it has a $7 million budget, about 24 full-time employees, 4.4 square mile area.
This is an excellent resource. I gave up on the city providing direct answers to queries and providing useful information for residents via the city's website.
One of the parts which struck my attention:
"To a great extent, a local government administrator serves as a resource to the elected body. Whereas the council provides policy and political leadership for the community, the administrator brings policy problems to the elected body, develops alternatives, helps the elected body as it is making policy choices, and then implements policy and provides the administrative leadership necessary for continued progress and high morale. His or her input makes the difference as to whether or not the objectives and priorities of the governing body—and indirectly the community—are refined, considered, and implemented."
Rich Guillen was the antithesis of the above apt description of what an administrator's role should be. Guillen never was a good resource to the council, was poor at setting priorities and was responsible for terrible employee morale, along with the mayor.
I liked this part too.
"An organized approach and strong, consistent leadership from the local governing body are essential to the recruitment process. Without them, recruitment can damage the image of the local government; divide the local
government and the community; weaken the authority of the government; erode the responsibilities associated with the position; and hurt the ability of the local government to attract and retain good candidates for this and other administrative positions."
All these things have happened with the present mayor and Rich Guillen. Hopefully things will get better with a competitive search. Things could not get worse, I don't think.
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