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CONTENTS
–City Manager Search–"Most Important Decision We Will Make"
–Police Chief Search
–Infrastructure Needs
–Email Controversy
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CITY MANAGER SEARCH–"Most Important Decision We Will Make"
Last night, the City Council agreed to solicit proposals from executive search firms that can do a nationwide search for a city manager.
We set a deadline for proposals to be in by February 14, and we will meet on Feb. 16 at 6 pm to decide which firms we want to make presentations to the Council on Feb. 21.
The League of Municipalities consultant, Hartwell Wright, said that short of dealing with some major disaster, picking a manager is likely to be the most important decision a Council makes. I agree. I am so disappointed Manager Bowers–a seasoned manager with strong manaagement and budget skills–is leaving and that we have to go through this complicated and expensive process to find another manager. However, because of the important role they play and that they can stay for many years in a city, it is critical that we move carefully and wisely to do all we can to ensure the best possible candidate pool.
The search firm will start by interviewing city leaders to construct a profile of what is wanted in a manager. The entire process culminating in hiring a new manager is likely to take 4-5 months and cost an estimated 30,000. The City Council will soon choose an interim manager.
POLICE CHIEF SEARCH
In our Council-Manager form of government, the City Council hires only the city manager, the lead attorney, and the clerk. The city manager hires the police chief.
The search process for a police chief, since the city manager will probably utilize a firm that is most capable of doing a nationwide search, is likely to take about as long as that for a manager and cost about the same amount. Manager Bowers will likely make the police chief search about 3 weeks longer than the manager search, so that the new manager can choose a chief from a short list. This makes sense because any new chief is likely to want to know what manager he or she is going to work for.
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INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS–STAYING FOCUSED
At the planning session, Public Works Director Wes Anderson discussed the city’s significant infrastructure needs, such as water, sewer, and streets. Despite the challenges presented by the recent 3 resignations, and the distractions that hopefully won’t but could come from that, it is important that we address big and long-term issues like infrastructure, while we continue uninterrupted routine services to citizens.
I note in the February issue of Smart Money, published by the Wall Street Journal, that to keep pace with the world’s growing population, governments and the private sector will have to spend at least 53 trillion on various infrastructure projects by 2030. So, we are not alone on this matter, and it is critical that we address such issues so that we continue to provide the context for economic development and quality of life for our citizens.
The previous Council worked over several months to take several difficult actions to reign in the potential long-term fiscal problem of OPEB (other post-employment benefits), which I called the "OPEB Gorilla" and talked about quite a bit in this newsletter. Infrastructure is also a long-term, big issue and important to address. At the planning session, we placed infrastructure in our goals. As we begin the several month long process of constructing a two-year budget plan, it will be important that we think long-term and make sure we give adequate attention to infrastructure.
EMAIL CONTROVERSY
An email by Chief Anderson about a downtown tragedy, narrowly averted, was released to the press by the city attorney, at the request of the press. I’m sure this will be well covered in the media, so I won’t address it here.
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I have a vision of Greenville as a vibrant business, educational, health, and cultural leader in North Carolina; a powerful economic center with many biotech, green, ecotourism, and other industries; a beautiful, walkable, bikeable, inclusive, safe city with a dynamic uptown; and a city famous for its towering oak trees, flowered parks, clean air, and healthy citizens who know their neighbors. A beautiful city, serving our region, does not just happen. We must act today to make sure our city is a place where we and our children and our grandchildren will enjoy living, working, and serving. –Calvin
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CC NEWSLETTER
This email newsletter is sent about twice-monthly to anyone who has expressed interest in my views on local and other issues, regardless of where they live. Please let me know of any factual errors in this newsletter. The city maintains an excellent and informative website (www.greenvillenc.gov), where City Council meeting videos, upcoming agenda items, government services updates, city cable channel programming, and other information can be readily accessed. This mailing will provide, among other things, my commentary on controversial and/or important issues. I intend for it to be useful, without overwhelming anyone’s mailbox. This newsletter is separate from a regional newsletter, posted about once every couple of months, where I discuss efforts to promote, for economic and quality of life purposes, nature-based eco and other sustainable tourism in eastern North Carolina. I also produce an occasional newsletter about religion-related academic and/or cultural events in the area. I write a column for the Greenville Times (www.mygreenvilletimes.com), a free newsprint magazine covering Greenville and Pitt County that is published monthly and distributed in high traffic locations in Greenville and Pitt County. Encourage the retail businesses you patronize to carry this popular magazine. To access some archived columns, google "Calvin Mercer Facebook" or go to www.facebook.com/MercerCalvin. My website is www.CalvinMercer.com. Expenses for this newsletter are paid for by the Calvin Mercer Campaign.
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