Daily Sitka Sentinel

Assembly, Recruiter Work On Hiring Goals

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
    The Assembly is looking for city administrator candidates who:
    – have their own ideas but don’t undercut Assembly members’ ideas.
    – are creative thinkers but can also take direction.
    – are mindful of community values, but can think outside the box.
    – are respectful and communicative with fellow top level employees, the Assembly and tribal government.
    That list of desired qualifications was the result of the Assembly’s meeting on Thursday with the professional recruiter it has hired to help find a new administrator to replace Mark Gorman, who retires June 15.
    The process will look somewhat similar to the last recruiting process, which was conducted without outside professional recruiting help. Like the last go-round, it will involve advertising inside and out of the state and having in-person interviews with the finalists.
    But under the $20,500 contract with the executive recruitment firm Prothman of Issaquah, Wash., the city will reach additional candidates who aren’t  necessarily looking for work.
    Assembly members also are hoping Prothman’s experience will lead to better screening of candidates and call attention to candidates the Assembly might otherwise overlook or rule out because they’ve been fired from past jobs.
    That’s not necessarily a reflection on their ability to be a good administrator for Sitka, the Assembly was told.
    “Good people lose their jobs,” Prothman Senior Consultant John Hodgson said. “That’s the way it is.”
    Hodgson spent more than an hour with six members of the Assembly at Centennial Hall, with a seventh, Bob Potrzuski, participating by phone. Members talked about the qualities they’re looking for, and heard about the tools Prothman brings to the table.
    Hodgson said he didn’t necessarily see the financial challenges facing the city and the state as barriers to finding a good candidate since many top executives like a challenge.
    “I don’t see that as a negative,” Hodgson said. “Every city administrator is going to know nothing’s perfect ... They’re going to look at that, and say, ‘Bring it on.’”
    But he added a poor working relationship among Assembly members would make it harder to fill the position.
    “If you guys hate each other, no one is going to want to come,” Hodgson said.
    The city has used Prothman once, in the recruitment of the controller, and was pleased with the result, Human Resources Director Mark Danielson has said. Prothman is an executive recruiting company that specializes in government agencies for city managers, department heads and chief executive officers. Most of Prothman’s work is in the Northwest. The company’s eight employees are retired city managers and government workers, including Hodgson, who was city administrator for Kent, Wash., for eight years.
    The Assembly voted 5-0 at its April 25 meeting to hire Prothman after the last search process ended in two final interviews and no one selected.
     Hodgson spent 24 hours in Sitka in hopes of getting a general description that would help him look for Sitka’s new top executive, and was impressed with the number of activities going on in Sitka, as well as the active volunteer force making things happen. Danielson took him on a tour along Sitka’s road system, visiting city facilities and buildings, and talking to department heads, Danielson said today.
    The two outstanding issues at the work session Thursday were the timeline to hire an administrator and whether to hire an interim administrator through Prothman.
    A few Assembly members felt the city lost out on good candidates by taking too long in the last recruiting process, when candidates took other jobs first and dropped out. That can be a problem, Hodgson agreed.
    “It seems as though when candidates are applying for jobs they’re applying for more than one,” he said. “We like to move fairly quickly.”
    After Hodgson has a good idea what Sitka is looking for, he will start the search process to narrow the field to four to six finalists, under the assumption one or two will drop out.
    Prothman’s timeline calls for advertising throughout June, screening in July and having someone on board by mid to late September. Aaron Bean said he would like to tighten the schedule given the unsuccessful search the last time.
    “I would like to push hard to get someone in the office by the end of the summer,” he said.
    Others expressed similar concerns, although Tristan Guevin said Prothman probably knows the best process.
    “I would like to take the time it requires to get a good candidate,” he said. “You guys are the experts. I’m 100 percent comfortable with the schedule.”
    Bean agreed it’s important to get the right candidate, although his concern is adding more responsibilities onto the department heads who have other tasks at city hall. The Assembly will consider whether to hire an interim administrator at a regular meeting.