2015 WORK PLAN UNDERWAY

Rockland City Council chooses Dacri and Associates for city manager search

Wed, 08/27/2014 - 4:30pm

    ROCKLAND – In a special meeting on Aug. 26 the Rockland City Council voted three to one, with one councilor absent, to retain Dacri and Associates to assist with the next city manager search, at a cost of $17,000.

    It was the expenditure that divided the council on the issue, with Councilor Louise MacLellan Ruf voting against. Councilors Eric Hebert and Frank Isganitis, as well as Mayor Larry Pritchett, voted in favor of the order. Councilor Elizabeth Dickerson was not present.

    Councilor Hebert, who put forward the amendment to include Dacri and Associates as the firm and $17,000 as the price in the order, stated that he has seen the city go through two city manager searches in only six years.

    He said that the “major changes in leadership” in the position have resulted in “missed opportunities to really solve some of the city’s problems.”

    The city needs to undertake a different and more exhaustive search, Hebert argued, and Dacri and Associates’ proposal offers that. Compared to the cost of not having someone stay in the position long-term, Hebert said, “It’s worth going through a process that’s different than what we’ve done before.”

    Hebert added that some have asked why the city does not just hire Acting City Manager Tom Luttrell. Hebert said that Luttrell should stand up against other candidates, to see if he is the best choice for the city. Anything less would be “a major disservice.”

    Isganitis agreed with Hebert and added that the search process is not just for the council.

    “We want our citizens actively involved,” Isganitis said.

    He added that the process will be “public” and “transparent” and that the council wants citizen feedback and comment.

    He continued by saying that, because the city manager position is currently empty, there is a budgeted wage that the city is not paying. Some of this money can go toward finding a city manager, with no loss in the budget, Isganitis said, and no tax rises.

    MacLellan Ruf explained that she understood and appreciated Hebert’s argument, particularly about the short turnover in the last two city managers.

    “I just wish we had some other options than spending $17,000,” MacLellan Ruf said. “Which for many is what they receive for a full-time job.”

    Because of the expense, MacLellan Ruf voted against.

    Hebert read a selection from the proposal from Dacri to show why he thought they were the right choice. The section of the proposal pointed to the vetting process, the candidate profile and the interview process as places where Dacri can improve over the city’s previous searches.

    A short portion of it reads, “Undertaking another search, utilizing the same approach as was done the last two times, will not provide Rockland what it needs. Putting in place this more comprehensive approach... will yield better candidates. It should not be viewed as a cost, but as an investment in the community. A third misstep by the city would have a long-term adverse impact."

    Pritchett, in an earlier memo to council, explained that Dacri is a more nontraditional firm, with experience in human relations and corporate consultation. The firm has also worked with municipalities and on recruitment.

    In his memo Pritchett also informed the council that other municipalities typically spend between $6,500 and $24,000 on recruitment.

    In an open email to the media, Pritchett asked residents to “let Council members know what they see as the biggest challenges facing the City as well as what residents see as important opportunities the City needs not to miss.”

    He also encouraged citizens and members of the community to check out Rick Dacri’s blog.

    After passing the order to retain Dacri, the council moved into a work session and continued to develop the city’s 2015 fiscal year work plan.

    Pritchett noted that the work plan and the city manager search are related issues, since knowing what the city needs to work on and where it’s headed will inform the kind of city manager they hire.

    Right now the work plan is under revision by the council, in discussion with city department heads and the current acting city manager. They are identifying key issues and concerns from each department.