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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03_29_04_smCITY COUNCIL ROLL CALL - PRESENT: A Quorum was present. NOT PRESENT AT ROLL CALL: ABSENT: PRESIDING: Alderman Tisdahl Alderman Rainey Aldermen Newman and Wynne Aldermen Bernstein and Kent Mayor Lorraine H. Morton March 29, 2004 Alderman Feldman Alderman Jean -Baptiste Alderman Moran At the call of Mayor Morton a SPECIAL MEETING of the City Council was held Monday, March 29, 2004, at 5:25 p.m. in the Aldermanic Library for the purpose of considering matters related to the hiring of a city manager. Mayor Morton said they were to select a company that would find applicants for the city manager position which is an open process. Choosing personnel to do the job would require going into closed session. They would hear from and interview Richard Bennett of Bennett Yarger Associates, the Oldani Group and Slavin Management Associates. Alderman Moran asked if the Mayor was going to appoint a citizens committee. Mayor Morton stated that would come later; reported she was contacted by three groups who asked to do some interviewing. She stated Council cannot control that and all a group has to do is call. It does not mean what they do would not be brought to Council. Whatever information they give to the consultant firm is their right because it is an open process. According to legal counsel the Council's decision must be done in closed session. Mayor Morton did not want the public to think that they could take a poll and make a decision. Council was glad to hear anything anybody had to say, but the responsibility to hire rests with the City Council. Alderman Moran suggested they ask search firms they interview what they think about an advisory committee. Alderman Rainey asked what First Assistant Corporation Counsel's opinion was of the discussion with the consulting firms being legitimate for a closed session. How was hiring of a search firm any different than hiring an architect or engineering firm? Mayor Morton said there is a degree of confidentiality in the types of things that would be revealed to a search firm. Alderman Rainey understood no confidential information would be discussed with a firm they are interviewing. Nothing would be shared about current personnel. Once a firm is selected, however, every meeting after that should be closed. It seemed to her that Council would interview firms, their personalities, the way Council interacts with them, the process they find most effective, whether or not community groups get involved and how that is handled, how long it will take, what the current pool of candidates is like, anticipated problems Council could encounter and how they deal with them, how easy they are to reach and how frequently they will come to Evanston. She did not see their discussion as specific to any candidate or current employee. Alderman Feldman was interested in what any citizen has to say about a value with respect to a city manager such as bright, responsive, good communicator, and works with well with minorities and union groups and is familiar with a diverse community. He would not be interested in anybody outside of City Council meeting with a candidate, even knowing who the candidates are - could not support that process. He was interested in what people think is the right combination of talent, qualities, etc., but not having anything to do with a specific candidate. He did not think they should indicate to prospective applicants their application would be known and involved in an open community contest, by people and by experience not capable of making that kind of decision. Alderman Feldman was suggesting the role for any citizens group. He did not think it took a lot to meet and determine the qualities a city manager needs which is a long way from selecting a candidate. Alderman Rainey said in other communities citizen committees put together characteristics they wanted to see in a city manager and challenges he/she would face. Mayor Morton thought that was fine. Alderman Rainey suggested that the League of Women Voters put together a group and share their findings. Alderman Feldman said they cannot restrict that kind of input to any one group. Alderman Rainey suggested the Chamber of Commerce put together a group and Council would gather all their findings. Alderman Feldman urged they make sure what the charge is. Mayor Morton said they would accept what is brought and cannot control it. March 29, 2004 At 5:40 p.m. Mayor Morton asked for a motion to go into closed session. Alderman Jean -Baptiste clarified that the search firms would be interviewed in open session. At 5:40 p.m. Alderman Tisdahl moved that Council convene into Closed Session for the purpose of discussing personnel matters pursuant to 51LCS Section 120/2 ( c ) (1). Seconded by Alderman Jean -Baptiste. (1) The appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees of the public body, including hearing testimony on a complaint lodged against an employee to determine its validity. Roll call. Voting aye — Tisdahl, Rainey, Feldman, Jean -Baptiste, Moran. Voting nay — none. Motion carried (5-0). At 6:04 p.m. Mayor Morton recessed the closed session and the Council met in open session to interview the three search firms. Mayor Morton welcomed Richard Bennett of Bennett Yarger Associates and explained the present city manager would retire effective June 30 and that Council wanted to find a firm that could find a city manager that is compatible with what Evanston citizens want. Mr. Bennett said his company has been in service since 1981 and deals predominantly with regional, state and local government and non-profit organizations and sometimes a private sector firm if they have a public mission. On the executive search side of the business they have worked in 32 states and in their consulting practice has worked in all 48 lower states. They are headquartered in the Boston area on the south Shore; have regional offices in Westchester County, NY, Boise, ID and are negotiating to start up a business in Sacramento, CA. They work for board -driven types of organizations and accustomed to working with groups like the City Council to help them find the person to get them to where they want to go. They recruit a full range of individuals such as planning directors, technical people, public safety people so they have an eclectic practice. He originally is from Michigan. Mr. Bennett said that every recruiter does the same thing. There is a lot of work and networking involved and they must have a good set of ears. He believed they were particularly good in working with a client in helping them accomplish what they want to with the hire. Whoever is hired will have an impact on the city. The question is, will they have the impact Council wants them to have. The purpose of using a firm like his is to spend time in the beginning — listening to them, then coming back with what they have heard and where they want the community to be in five -seven years. That is an important point. They want to work with the staff, people in the community and whatever appointment and review structure they have so they can understand things about the City. History — where the City has been; what is important right now (what consumes their time and what do they have to deliver on); what has to be done in the next five -seven years and lastly how does the individual have to lead so they know they have made the right decision. They all know shortly after making a decision whether it was right or not. The importance of understanding what they want to hear about the hire is to tell them whether the candidate can use the tools they have to succeed. Many people in this business have the tools, but few will be exactly right in a span of five -seven years. An important step is helping them to know what it is they want to accomplish. The last thing they want to happen is to have somebody fail that is brought in. How they function is critical. They need to understand that, so they can go out and find individuals who would fit. He emphasized it was important to know what they want to accomplish because that is what they want to do with the individual that is hired. His firm has worked quietly for 22 years. They want to get in, do their job, get the right person in and settled. They want to handle everybody properly and do the job as seamlessly as possible. A typical recruitment cycle is 90-days from the time they get started. There are reasons to take longer because they are dealing with people's lives. If everything moves right it will take 90-days from the time they get started to have a hire, then that individual will have to take some time to get here which could be another 30 days. They do everything they can to be done with their part and have a hire in 90-days and try to start two -three weeks after they are hired. If his firm is chosen he would want to be in Evanston the latter part of April to get started, so somebody could be here in the summertime. Mayor Morton asked him how he defined networking. He explained for every recruitment they do is a "one -on." They design a process to go out and find an individual that is particularly well -qualified for this position. They know many people because they have been in this business for quite some time. Networking comes from getting on the telephone, talking to people they know and trust, describing the job to them and who do they believe are the best qualified people to do the job. Networking is time consuming. March 29, 2004 Alderman Newman was not interested in candidates that are looking but was interested in a firm that could find a super star to run the city if it meant going beyond advertising to do so. He was not interested in getting a typical group that is out there. How would he help them find a super star and would he be the one doing the looking. Mr. Bennett stated that he would be the person with whom they would work if his firm was hired. They have a policy of having another person work with the recruiter because it was important that somebody else know all about the search underway. There would never be a time when they meet that he would not be here. He noted it is a personal service and they have to build a relationship of trust with the recruiter. There is no bait and switch. In looking for an individual, if they define that they need a person with a particular skill set for the next three -seven years to address something they know is vital, that gives them guidance as to the type of person they would go after. They may not be a city manager and it gives them the direction as to where to look for such a person. The only way to find them is to research. They do a great deal of work upfront once they have the profile and challenge statement, once they understand what Council is looking for, they do research on leaders in those areas to see who is active, what businesses are active and go to those people and talk to them. It all comes back to the description of what they are trying to accomplish. He said it would be devastating for a recruiter to open a drawer and pull out the last 25 resumes. He said there is a difference in doing that and going to good people. The real key is to understand their skills and to match those with the job. Alderman Newman's perception of the last job search for a city manager was they got somebody who was looking. Mr. Bennett said his references would tell them how he found the candidate. It was important to be transparent and he has a responsibility to tell them why he knows a person and in what context, so they can form their own conclusions. Alderman Rainey looked at Bennett Yarger's website and noted what they do in the community before they begin a search such as challenges, qualifications, interviewing Council and staff. She asked how does he do that and how long does that take. Mr. Bennett said they start by asking Council who they need to talk to in reference to the four things he spoke about earlier. They would talk to the main administrative officials, business leaders, school leaders and the university. Many times, depending on the size of the community two of them come in and talk to people in 30-45 minute private conversations so that each day they see 14-16 people. They talk to the Chamber of Commerce, neighborhood organizations and talk to people who can contribute. When people talk it is important to hear common threads early in the process. They can talk to up to 60 people in two days so they get nuances and the community has a chance to participate which is important. They then come back with what they heard and ultimately it is Council's statement. Alderman Rainey asked if this was used with candidates. Mr. Bennett said it was and if crafted properly, there are no surprises and it helps the candidates to know whether they are interested in the position. In response to Alderman Moran Mr. Bennett said he grew up in Detroit, was a manager in Midland and Lansing and worked in Wyoming. What did he know about Evanston? Mr. Bennett said he did not know a great deal and would want to learn about the community early on. Every search is a "one -on." Alderman Moran asked for an explanation. Mr. Bennett said rather than taking candidates from other searches and plugging them in, he tries to design the process exclusively for Evanston. It's a phrase for custom designing. Alderman Moran asked if he has done searches in Illinois. He had not; had done many searches in Ohio and Michigan. He said that Illinois has been tough to crack into because there are other firms that have been in place for a long time that people go to. Who are they? The Par Group and Maximus, when they were alive. Mr. Bennett said their advantage was they aren't the "come to" firm from the region and they find people who have worked for comparable sized, inner ring high - incomes cities around the country. Alderman Feldman asked about the series of community interviews, that within a few hours they get an idea of what the issues are and what did he mean by that? Mr. Bennett said he did not know the issues here but that many places think that when you ask, you get a whole range of issues. That is not true. He has found a remarkable similarity on the important issues. What vary are the priorities and nuances of how they should be dealt with. Frequently in conversations they find four or five issues that everybody thinks are important. From there they look at nuances around the issues. By the end of these interviews they pick up the threads quickly. Alderman Feldman asked with the interviews does he report in summary to the Council. Mr. Bennett said they have work sessions, lay out the impressions they have gained, share general insights and have a final session in which they determine response to hire. He emphasized that the Council's definition was most important. Alderman Feldman noted that some city managers are happy and some are on career paths. If somebody is happy in their job, would they be a candidate? A super star who is highly respected and they know they are doing a great job. Would Mr. Bennett go to such a person? Yes he would. They try to identify the best people and get them interested. He noted that today it is hard for people to move. Even high quality jobs don't draw as many applicants as in the past. Today there are many two career families and people are taking care of their parents and/or children. People are staying put if they can and tenures are going up. There is a great deal of March 29, 2004 complexity in people's personal lives. Alderman Wynne asked what process happens after they prepare the marketing. Mr. Bennett stated they manage the entire process. They begin the process of narrowing; talk to people extensively and eliminate people who don't have the skills. They run them through more filters and bring back 8-10 people. They want to work within open meeting laws. They would select six people that Council would want to interview and it was important that the partners come for the interviews. They would have a concentrated interview cycle - a hardworking weekend. He wanted clients to have this concentrated experience. The expectation after the interview cycle is that they would see people two or three times, then do references. They don't get into present employers because they don't want to damage applicants. Alderman Wynne asked for several examples of cities similar to Evanston. Mr. Bennett stated that Arlington, MA is slightly smaller but densely populated (50,000) similar with a complex governmental system, urban and densely settled, which they just finished. Greenville, SC is a city of 60,000 has Michelin Tire, three universities, and is high growth with a complex political situation. He also found a chief administrator for a regional government of 29 cities. Alderman Jean Baptiste was interested in his experience with diversity and issues they have considered. Mr. Bennett said there is a blend of the old and new in the south; has been in settings over the years and developed respect for open, honest dialogue for diversity. He has done nine searches for Washington, SC and Charlotte where three women and three people of color were hired. He said by being straight with people they find out who is good and who is not. Alderman Jean Baptiste asked if he included internal candidates. Mr. Bennett stated that internal candidates have the right to be there and is complicated because they know "you" which he termed a blessing and a curse, but internal candidates are always given a chance to compete. He won't know these folks and needs to get feedback on how to handle. Alderman Newman said the last time they had candidates in for the weekend he saw the resume of a former city manager and was surprised that he took credit for things that happened on his watch. They received information in the written materials they did not know if were true. How do they get beyond that? Alderman Newman asked how do they know and make a decision based on something in written materials, that the candidate has the talent to meet the needs of the community? Mr. Bennett stated they have to talk around with people and know people. There are networks on who is straight and who has problems. Some claim to take personal responsibility for things which the organization did. When they see "flags" they go back to the community where they are known. When they do references they go to people who have worked with and for the individual. If Council has concerns they will go back and dig out the information. They give a written report, not verbatim, but one that gives the flavor of the conversations and nuances. Alderman Newman noted there are both external and internal issues that external candidates won't know about. The city manager is the chief recruiter of department heads. Can they find somebody who can recruit top notch department heads and can he find out how successful a candidate has been with hiring. Mr. Bennett stated that people are predictable. They work the candidate through his/her career and find out what their job was and why they left. They see patterns. If staff development and recruitment is important, they ask if the manager has hired department heads. They get accurate in predicting what they will do. If there is a consistent pattern they do the same thing again. Alderman Newman asked if they could tell the ability to recruit diversity. Yes if called upon and they want to go after diversity. Alderman Feldman commented that in house applicants will know the City better than candidates he brings in. It is hard in the application process to see weaknesses. Alderman Feldman noted when they hire someone they discover strengths but also other qualities that aren't as strong. If they have a good internal candidate with knowledge, how does he/she compare to external candidates. Mr. Bennett said that is very difficult. How do you put that aside and trust, as opposed to personal experience. Mr. Bennett said handling an internal candidate is a complex situation and encouraged them to think through their hire. Alderman Rainey asked if he could tell them the strength and weaknesses of candidates. Mr. Bennett will tell the best he knows. His experience is that internal candidates know the history better. He encouraged them to think about what they will need to get the city there. Sometimes an internal candidate is a Council's best choice. If an internal candidate keeps the city operating smoothly, fine, but if they need something different, an internal candidate may not be able to get them there. March 29, 2004 Alderman Tisdahl asked if he has extensive experience with people who have not served as city manager's before. Mr. Bennett said for a city manager search that he did not want to take a chance by going outside of persons who have served as city managers. When a public sector person is hired, they define what was done, with private firm he believed it would have to be somebody who has done something comparable. They cannot afford to fail. The private sector is a different world. He would not consider anybody from the private sector who does not have a civic vision. Alderman Newman asked had he ever seen a city manager submit video tapes of how he/she interacted at Council meetings. Mr. Bennett has not and if that was desired, he would ask. Alderman Newman said the issue is ability of city manager to participate and he was interested in seeing what the person has done. Mayor Morton asked about necessary information; would candidates give their salary. Yes. Are candidates made aware that Evanston has the Council/Manager form of government? Yes. Does he talk to department heads? Yes. When they seek employees, they ask about how they were contacted in their present job. All information is confidential. He maintains ongoing contact and presents the final report. If Mr. Bennett requests additional remuneration how is that handled. Mr. Bennett sticks to final amount quoted. If Mr. Bennett could not find a candidate would he tell the Council in a timely fashion? Yes. Does he need printed materials? Yes. Mayor Morton asked about an individual contract. Mr. Bennett stated that is based on conversation with Council. Do they have to know a term? No. They will have a contract based on needs of the individual. Mr. Bennett left the meeting at this time. At 7:20 p.m. Ms. Andrea Sims representing the Oldani Group came into the meeting. Ms. Sims explained that Jerry Oldani could not get here for this meeting. They are a public sector search firm — find city managers, attorneys, police chiefs and understand the scrutiny the public sector comes under. She said that Evanston is fortunate to have a strong city manager. They need somebody who can deal with services, fiscal matters, university — a person who can juggle. Their process is behavioral based interviewing. They spend two days with the council to learn all things they need to have in the next manager. They also would talk with the current city manager, selected department heads, citizens, and community leaders for input. One of the best things they do is to put together an excellent brochure that sells the City that talks about local government and what the person will have to deal with in the 12-18 months after being hired. In dealing with fiscal and economic issues and human relations, they ask have they dealt with the same in the past. Is this person comfortable dealing with universities? The new manager will experience some learning curve. Where would they go to — one example, Ann Arbor, MI for finance director Charlotte Wills where they searched for a transit manager. They will find a special and diverse candidate pool on their behalf and audit public sector web sites. They have contacts at diverse organizations and know people from prior searches. They think about people in large city manager searches and assistant city manager searches. Their brochure gets people interested in applying. After collecting resumes, applicants with the strongest resumes are interviewed by telephone and the information on the resume is validated including educational degrees. The information is presented to Council with resumes on a spread sheet. It gives an analysis of person's experience, population managed, depth of staffing and budgeting experience. Key points are highlighted to find the person that is the best fit for the job. They have a meeting with Council, select candidates based on the write-up and resumes and select semi-finalists. Those will be interviewed with Oldani to see how well they can present and how they deal with challenges. Candidates are given a writing assignment of their top five accomplishments and current five challenges they are dealing with. Oldani requests applicants to provide 15 references. They have found that people can make up two or three references, but to come up with up to 15, they find more from people who are peers so they come up with a synopsis of strengths and weaknesses. They put together this information and share with Council. After face-to-face interview, they meet again and discuss finalists. They pick four to six finalists. They will come to Evanston for a two day process, tour the City, and do an orientation. Department heads would interview separately and be given questions. Why are they seeking a new position? They talk thoroughly about strengths/weaknesses and the salary sought. Most people are seeking advancement, may be pressed to come to the Chicago area or want to get back to this area. Oldani then puts together a profile with questions, orienting the candidate and work with City personnel so they are comfortable presenting information. Department heads get chance to impress new boss. If they have internal candidates that works well for them. They treat all with respect and keep them whole. She noted it is hard to find time to interview and it takes two days. All are focused on five people and to try to figure who is best. March 29, 2004 Alderman Feldman stated that in-house applicants present a challenge and if they applied, he would want them to stay with organization whether they were promoted or not. Ms. Sims stated they treat them the same as the other candidates and share information. They don't reference them because they don't want people to feel backlash. She was asked how often in city manager searches that are advertised nationally are in-house applicants hired. She said approximately 20% in house are hired and 80% of searches are filled by external candidates. Alderman Newman asked if most of the contact would be with her or with Jerry Oldani. She said he would come for the orientation process. They would participate in video interviewing with Oldani in Bellevue, WA and herself in Cleveland OH. He asked if they should identify a compensation package. Yes. She said they would tell Oldani the number they are looking for. Alderman Newman said they want a top person. She said that depends on what the applicant is at. She suggested $140- 180,000 range and asked if they do anything regarding housing costs here because housing costs more. Alderman Newman said that housing costs have been an issue here. Ms. Sims said that housing costs can be on the profile which should be communicated in the early stages. Alderman Rainey asked regarding a community profile and Council profile, do they go with community, what about general population concerns. Ms. Sims said that they do that during a two day process. If they have a community forum, they get two conference rooms and for two -three days talk to about 60 people. What they get from the people is shared with Council. They won't come up with anything that puts Evanston in a negative light. Alderman Feldman asked for her to assume a current city manager is satisfied — how good is their record in finding people who don't apply but that would be a good fit. Ms. Sims said they would talk to candidates they have worked with in the past. Most people won't refuse to speak with a recruiter and they may appeal to the larger community. They are good at attracting people that are not in the search process. Alderman Wynne asked how they identify people and know people. Ms. Sims noted in Charlottesville one third of the people who applied responded to the brochure. Alderman Wynne asked Ms. Sims how long she had been with Oldani. Three years; previously had been an Information Technology manager and did recruiting. She was a Math major for undergrad at Spelman College and has an MPA from Wharton. Alderman Rainey asked how attractive the community of Evanston is. Ms. Sims said that Evanston is an attractive community and close to Chicago. The people who would be interested in being here are people who have worked well with a large residential base. Alderman Tisdahl said if they had a hot shot on the way up, the role could be department director, assistant city manager or department head for larger community but not from a smaller community. Alderman Feldman commenting on Washington, D.C. noted that Ms. Sims was not dealing with a board, because the Mayor's job is to hire. She stated that Oldani had placed the Deputy Mayor. She noted the percentages are different and time spent searching for top executive positions compared to chiefs of police. Ms. Sims said it is 60%city manager's versus 40% for department heads. She noted that organizations will pay for city managers faster than other searches. Alderman Newman noted Oldani had three principals and the rest are staff. Different principals have primary client contacts. After finalists are identified, they prepare profiles, references and the final process is two days. Then the process turns from them to Council. The first day is orientation and the second day interviews. They may want to have forum where citizens have exposure to candidates. Typically one or two rise to top — and there could be second interview with Council. Alderman Newman confirmed there would be two or three interviews with finalists — then get to one or two, make an offer or have an additional interview. Alderman Feldman in asking for 15 references, asked if they go outside the reference list. Ms. Sims said yes. They start with the candidates list and if there are issues with the person they call and if applicants don't supply current reference list Alderman Feldman asked about examining the pay raise history. Ms. Sims stated that they ask for salary history. Salary increases are important and they also ask to see performance evaluations. March 29, 2004 Alderman Wynne asked about the time line for the search. Ms. Sims said typically it takes 90-120 days and depends on how quickly they can get feedback. One challenge is getting photographs back. They set a time frame and get started as soon as possible. Alderman Wynne stated that Evanston's city manager will retire June 30. Ms. Sims asked when they would decide on search firm. As soon as possible. Alderman Feldman said they want to do whatever it takes to get the right candidate. Ms. Sims explained that Oldani does net working, direct recruiting, mailings, and listing in the ICMA magazine. Ms. Sims looks at applicant's websites. They contact professional associations for mailing lists and websites. The recruitment closing date is based on when materials are ready to go out. The advertisement is on the street for 30 days. Mayor Morton confirmed after evaluation and processing that they put 15-20 candidates on spread sheets. Ms. Sims said they give resumes with the hope that they are reviewed, and agree on 10-15 candidates they can follow up on. Then they do face-to-face interviews, then give a writing test. Mayor Morton said say somebody heard about this opening how is that handled. Ms. Sims said they would collect information, and if serious, send material. Mayor Morton asked when dealing with the cream of the crop do they give the salary. Ms. Sims stated they advertise the salary range in recruitment and include that this is council/manager form of government. They would interview the present city manager and department heads. They would maintain ongoing contact by telephone and give status reports. Mayor Morton said on submission of resumes, do they give the names of all who apply. If they see a name on master list, Oldani will do a telephone interview. On final contact they are present and stick to the amount quoted in the contract for their services. If cannot find somebody that is acceptable, they would go out again. In response to Alderman Feldman, Ms. Sims stated that Oldani brought Eric Anderson to Evanston in 1991. There was discussion of placements in neighboring cities. Alderman Jean -Baptiste, asked about the process, whether it was individual or group. Ms. Sims stated they like to do small groups and give a script. Alderman Jean -Baptiste asked the challenges in finding diverse candidates. Ms. Sims stated the client pool contains 40% minority. Ms. Sims left the meeting at this time. At 8:28 p.m. Bob Slavin of Slavin Management Associates was present. Mayor Morton explained the present city manager will leave June 30 and has served as manager since 1996. Mr. Slavin said he knows Roger Crum and that Evanston is a rare and fun place to be. He described his company as small near Atlanta with eight in the firm. He will do the search. His firm does human resource consulting, job classification, performance appraisals and how to compensate people. All their work is for government entities. Since 1979 he has worked in all states except the Dakotas. He left local government to focus on recruitment. He is the one candidates and the Council will see and has people who do research and network. He will come and determine the City Council and community needs. He was assistant city manager in Beverly Hills, CA; worked for Korn Ferry. He joined this company based in Georgia where they have the advantage of being near the airport. His search practice is based on the relationship with Council which he considers a partnership. He is Council's staff. Council contributes information. He will meet with Council members individually and also talk with staff and the community. Council is the author and he will put together a profile criterion for candidates. Once approved, he will take the criterion and apply it. There is shotgun advertising but he will use a rifle, and do the pick and shovel work. He goes out and finds applicants. His network has been built since 1997; has a database and does work on ongoing basis. His firm is good at outreach for women and minorities. He has a woman in Texas who is certified WBE/MBE in the Dallas/Fort Worth area because they do a large number of placements of women and minorities. They compare people to the criteria that was established. He goes to the applicant's site for visits; looks at the environment people work in, wants to see how the person relates to people; wants to walk in the community; spend time in the library and wants to see first hand. This is done for finalists. They do a drug check, run history, newspaper clips, certificates and education. By the time of interview candidates should be risk free. He sticks with Council throughout interviews; provides information about each candidate and gives a final report on candidates. He works to negotiate terms and condition of employment and set up a performance evaluation, and what they expect the person to do. That is helpful for Council and the manager. If the person leaves within two years, he will do another search free. He has this happen only once and that was because the city manager died of cancer. He enjoys his work; believes it is important and is proud of what he does. Alderman Moran noted Mr. Slavin had walked around Evanston and asked what he saw that made an impact? Did anything give him an idea of the issues confronting this community. Mr. Slavin had heard about the downtown redevelopment, which he saw as a work in progress. Alderman Newman asked how he heard about that. Mr. Slavin had read the Mayor's State of the City address on the City of Evanston web site. He drove March 29, 2004 around neighborhoods; saw some exquisite places and some poor areas. Mostly he saw well maintained structures. One need he saw was to resurface streets; noticed Evanston's budget is tight and the state has budget issues. It would be tough to figure out what they could get away with not doing. He noted they had to raise taxes. He was impressed with the parks. He walked along the beaches and drove through the Central Street business district and was impressed. Alderman Rainey said it is a good time to bring in candidates and they'll need a golf cart. Mayor Morton commented about Hinman Avenue and the heavy rain on the street noting that the movie "The Weatherman" was being filmed here and one section of the town was white for that. Alderman Feldman asked about internal people and getting references from people for internal candidates. Mr. Slavin said there is no way internal candidates are the same as external candidates. Clients are references. He spends time with internal candidates just like everybody else. He knows some department heads and has submitted several candidates. In response to Alderman Jean - Baptiste, Mr. Slavin said that the easiest transition is when you have a highly qualified internal candidate. It is not a problem and they are evaluated on the same criterion. When found, he tells the Council that they have an outstanding candidate. Alderman Jean Baptiste asked about the pool of candidates and does it include non city manager types? Mr. Slavin stated for a suburban/city as large as this and the ear marks of a stand alone City, he would suggest a person with experience as a city manager or assistant city manager, generally speaking. He looks at experience in doing the job. Alderman Jean -Baptiste asked about the distinction between a good manager and a leader who leads people. Mr. Slavin said that comes from referencing and employees. Some Council's want leadership to help set policy. With the business sector — a lot depends on what they want. Some want the city manager out in the community and other elected people want that role for themselves. Alderman Newman asked his advice on finding a super star and not exclude internal candidates. Mr. Slavin said there is no best method. First they would have to establish criteria and pay a competitive salary. Where that person is going to be was hard to tell, perhaps from a university town, with experience in downtown development. Evanston has all those components. A City that provides many services and is diverse. Mr. Slavin said once he knows what the criteria is he looks to whom they might know and at suggested compensation; noted housing costs are high here. He does not put in salary, but lists it as highly competitive. He noted there are ways of addressing the high cost of housing. Alderman Feldman asked how does he identify making case for someone happy in their work that would be perfect for Evanston. Mr. Slavin noted that for every 10 people he contacts, one is right unless married to somebody tied to the community with kids in high school. He has been successful in finding these people. Sometimes they need a low interest loan or a contract. He will come back, and, ask if the person has done things, are they interested. Alderman Wynne thought he had a fairly good understanding of Evanston. Does he consider Evanston a challenge and where does Evanston fit in? Mr. Slavin was aware of Evanston's reputation and that NU does not pay taxes and that the City provides many services to the community. He said the appeal of Evanston is the quality of life, a good public education system, and the Chicago area is vibrant. Evanston is an attractive City and has always considered challenges. People say good things about Evanston. The budget is challenging but he did not see Evanston as having a negative reputation. He said Evanston does not tie its hands behind its back with its manager. An example is Berkeley, CA where they do all they can to keep a city manager from being successful. Their rent control program reduces taxable property which impacts what the City can do. The topic turned to former city manager Eric Anderson. Mr. Slavin said that when Eric Anderson left here he said Evanston was a challenge and a diverse community. Eric Anderson is highly thought of in Des Moines and Slavin knew of his Evanston experience. Alderman Newman said without questioning the quality of Eric Anderson, that example troubled him. He was hired here in 1991 and was looking for a bigger City. They are looking for somebody who won't use Evanston as a stepping stone and want to hire somebody who will make a commitment. Mr. Slavin explained to find this quality, they have to ask people what point are they in their career. What will keep them here? What is their family interest over the next few years. Evanston would be a city considered a rung on the ladder. Alderman Newman asked how do they find that out. Mr. Slavin said they look at personal aspirations. If looking at somebody in their early 40s or 10 years older who has not moved around, past performance can predict. Eric Anderson was here 1991-1995. March 29, 2004 Alderman Moran asked Mr. Slavin the length of most managers' employment. It is 5-6 years when the population is 73,000 or more. Alderman Jean Baptiste said the city is looking for commitment. Alderman Rainey asked the average tenure of city manager's currently. Mr. Slavin said it is now six years and has recently gone up for the first time ever. He noted to be a stepping stone, there are two sides. Mr. Slavin acknowledged that some people are resume building and sometimes some things may not have been in place. He noted that site visits are important; knows people who are climbing up the ladder. Some Council's want people to come then leave to get their juices flowing. Alderman Feldman asked if Mr. Slavin knows whether city manager's get fired. Yes they do and he said they typically get fired for political reasons. Alderman Feldman asked if the community would be diminished by fact the city manager will have significantly less than a year here when a new Council is elected — will that hurt Evanston? Mr. Slavin thought that does not affect but has to do with contract. Some communities have intrinsic political problems such as Ann Arbor, MI. Alderman Wynne said in talking about diversity in the search and that they won't discriminate, will he do as much outreach to find the person. Mr. Slavin said what has changed are the numbers of Hispanic individuals who are available. He uses Josie Johnson because she has a great network and takes a great deal of pride in finding candidates. Mayor Morton mentioned the criteria of Council has been part of the process in the past. Mr. Slavin will meet with Council members individually and ask them where they want to see this city go. When interviews the alderman and mayor and the results are usually consistent. Council writes it and he pens it but he does not quote any one person. Mr. Slavin wanted to know how Council interacts with each other. Mr. Stavin will interview the current manager and department heads, maintain ongoing contact with the Council and would be present during the selection process. On remuneration, he has a cap on expenses which are limited by the contract. Only twice in 25 years has he had to take a document back. In one case a criterion was established to preclude internal candidate, whereas several members wanted an internal candidate. Mayor Morton asked when people hear about the job and send in their resume does Slavin put them in the candidate pool. Yes. She asked Mr. Slavin if he experienced difficulty getting candidates, could they find out why. He stated they would talk about it. There was discussion of a contract with a new manager with a severance clause which is usually six months with notice. Mr. Slavin indicated it would take 60-90 days to find a new manager and, if hired, would begin networking right away. Alderman Newman asked if they end up with a group of four -six candidates that they think are weak, would he go out and find others - and what if Council members have different views? Mr. Slavin noted they vote on the candidate. It had only happened twice that he had to redo a search. At this time Mr. Slavin left the meeting. At 9:39 p.m. the Council went into Closed Session and reconvened into Open Session at 10:08 p.m. Alderman Feldman moved that they enter into a contract with Mr. Slavin to conduct a search for a city manager. Seconded by Jean Baptiste. Motion carried unanimouslv. There being no further business to come before Council, Mayor Morton asked for a motion to adjourn. The Council so moved at 10:10 p.m. Mary P. Morris, City Clerk An audiotane recording of this meeting has been made Dart of the permanent record and is available in the Citv Clerk's office.