So now we have the names of the panelists interviewing city manger candidates, will this be enough to quell the concerns?

I did not rush to print this news release. My post title should give a clue. 

CITY OF EUREKA PRESS RELEASE

February 24, 2014

The City of Eureka will be conducting a second round of interviews with 3 candidates for City Manager on Wednesday, February 26, 2014.  Council has designed a process in consultation with the City’s recruiter Phil McKenney of Peckham and McKenney.  The process is designed to obtain input from the community as well as other City Managers in the area. That process is as follows:

·        Six City Manager candidates were initially interviewed on February 3, 2014 by the Mayor and Council.  The top three candidates have been invited back to interview before an oral board made up of community members and local City Managers.

·        The Mayor and each councilmember recommended a citizen to serve on a community panel oral board to interview the City Manager candidates. (Panel A)

·        Local City Managers, a prior City of Eureka Manager and the County Administrative Officer will act as another oral board to interview candidates. (Panel B)

·        Both oral boards will provide input to Phil McKenney of Peckham and McKenney.  Mr. McKenney will then meet with the Mayor and Council to review the panel comments. 

·        Candidates will meet with the Mayor and City Council in a 90 minute interview.

·        The Mayor and Council will then either select a candidate or consider additional recruitment steps.

Oral boards are routinely kept private to safeguard the recruitment process to ensure that each applicant receives a fair assessment and to protect the candidate’s privacy. In addition, the City has a legal duty to protect the deliberative process and ensure that the thought processes of the decision-makers, the Mayor and Council, are not impaired.  The City of Eureka wants to make sure there is a level playing field for each applicant.  

In the interest of transparency, the names of the individuals serving on the oral boards are:

Panel A:

Kurt Kramer

Heidi Benzonelli

Dale Maples

J Hockaday

Jack Crider

Lorene Dunaway

CM Recruitment Press Release

Page 2

Panel B:

Philip Smith-Haynes

Karen Suiker

Randy Mendoza

Regan Candelario

Jay Parrish

Jim Test

David Tyson

The Mayor and Council do ask that the process be allowed to proceed as designed and that the privacy of the City Manager candidates be respected.