After an hour or so, the wish list for an Emporia city manager had gotten pretty long.
Line by line, the qualities suggested by the small audience Wednesday night went up on the screen in the Little Theater at the Civic Building: A personnel manager. A “people person.” Someone with experience in encouraging commercial development and cutting through bureaucracy. And most often, someone who could take Emporia to the next level.
“The candidates we choose from will all be good candidates, but the key is whether they’re a good fit for our community,” Emporia resident Carl Rolf said at the public meeting. “I don’t know if they’ll stay here five years, 10 years, 15 years or whatever, but if they’re successful, they will have raised the bar to a new level, so that the next person will have higher expectations.”
The comments will be used by consultant Chuck Anderson to construct a profile for the new city manager that will be used to screen candidates. Anderson, the managing director of the Dallas-based Waters Consulting Group, was born in Topeka and raised in Osage City.
“This is one of the most important decisions your city commission will make during its tenure,” Anderson said. “It’s important that this profile be carefully done so we’re not looking at the wrong person.”
Those who were not able to attend the meeting may still comment over the next two weeks. Suggestions about the new city manager should be mailed to Mayor Jim Kessler in care of the city manager’s office, PO Box 928, Emporia KS 66801. Alternatively, comments may be e-mailed to mrodriguez@emporia.ws
The traits and qualities suggested at Wednesday’s meeting included:
- Accessibility
- Credibility
- A public face for the city
- An ability to maintain strong relationships with the county, school district and university.
- An ability to be a “change agent” for the community.
- Someone who can move the community forward instead of holding to the status quo.
- The ability to support employees and maintain a strong city organization.
- Someone willing to make a long-term commitment rather than using the job as a stepping stone.
“I don’t think it matters where they come from,” said Greg Bachman, chairman of the Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce. “It matters where they want to be. If they want the job, but don’t necessarily want to be here, I don’t think that’s a good situation.”
Anderson also interviewed several city officials and community members throughout the day Wednesday and was scheduled to talk to more today. His interviews included Mayor Jim Kessler, who said that good financial management and personal skills were high on his list.
“I really see this job as the chief executive officer of a pretty large company,” Kessler said. “So he or she has to be a ‘people person’ to manage this organization.”
He also emphasized the importance of experience in industrial and commercial development.
Anderson said that once a city starts advertising, a city manager post usually draws 50 to 75 applications, which will eventually be narrowed to four to six finalists. City officials have said that a new city manager could be chosen by February.
“The city of Emporia is viewed as a very positive community by city managers and it’s known for being a well-governed and well-managed city historically,” Anderson said. “So I’m expecting some very excellent candidates to apply.”