Board of Selectmen Meeting Minutes
Tuesday September 18, 2018
Rutland Public Library
6:45 p.m.
Present: Leroy Clark, Sheila Dibb, Leah Whiteman, Jeff Stillings, Wayne Walker
Others: Bob Reed – Interim Town Administrator, Abby Benoit – Administrative Secretary
Ms. Dibb opened the meeting at 6:45 p.m. The meeting is being recorded for Channel 191 and YouTube.
The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.
APPOINTMENTS
Town Administrator Recruitment Firms
The Board will give each firm approximately 30 minutes and the Chair will ask questions on behalf of the Board. There was discussion about whether the Board prefers a search committee, which has been used historically. In the past, the expectation would be that the search committee would research candidates. Ms. Whiteman asked the purpose of that format versus using the recruitment firm as the search committee.
Mr. Reed stated in his experience a search can become political. Ms. Dibb feels the size of the pool must be considered. Ms. Whiteman doesn’t feel strongly that a search committee is necessary. Mr. Stillings agrees. The DPW process is currently being done without a search committee.
The Board agreed to start interviews early.
6:55 p.m.: Community Paradigm Associates, Bernie Lynch
Mr. Lynch introduced himself. He established his consulting firm in 2014 after leaving the position of City Manager for the City of Lowell. He also served as manager in Chelmsford. He started the consulting business to work with municipalities on a variety of topics. With a large number of managers retiring, there was a need for someone with experience in the municipal world. He enjoys working with the new generation. Sharon Flaherty also works with him on recruitments. Ms. Flaherty’s background is in communications and journalism. Other municipal managers have joined the firm. There is a considerable amount of experience with recruiting. They first started with Winchendon. Mr. Lynch was working there as an interim and assisted with the recruitment of the new manager. In 3 years, they have served 21 communities.
The process they use is similar to other firms – they gather information about the community to understand its challenges, opportunities, and the steps needed and use that information to help explain the position to candidates. They advertise through the Beacon and MMA online. The have an extremely extensive network with management experience and are involved with the Suffolk University certificate program. They collect and review resumes and do preliminary interviews. They can make recommendations and generally work with a screening committee to help with interview questions and scheduling. If a committee is not used, they can bring in a handful of candidates to the Selectmen and go through the process. They do the final reference checks for finalists and will try to do preliminary checks ahead of time. Applicants are kept
confidential. The firm would work with the Board on interviewing the finalists and can also assist with the contract negotiations. They will customize their service to what the community wants.
Mr. Lynch feels the difference that makes them the best choice is their extensive network. They do a very robust position description. They feel community engagement is very useful to make sure they have played a role. They advise beyond recruitment. There are issues and questions that come up that are not necessarily recruitment-related on which they can advise. Mr. Lynch feels they are good at selling the Town and the position.
Mr. Walker joined the meeting at 7:12 p.m.
Mr. Lynch stated the have years of experience, more than other firms in Massachusetts. They have been very active and know the candidates. He believes the mentoring they have done provides value to the towns they serve.
Mr. Lynch provided the Board with the firm’s profile and references. He urged the Board to contact the communities they have worked with. They have experience in the region, having done work for several other small towns within the region.
Ms. Dibb discussed getting to know Rutland. Mr. Lynch stated he would interview departments, Board members and Mr. Reed and dig into that information. He discussed similarities with Hamilton – they involved the Board with the process of finalizing information.
Ms. Dibb discussed communities that may have issues that could deter applicants. She asked Mr. Lynch if he thought Rutland might have issues. Mr. Lynch would need to talk to people about why they chose not to apply.
Ms. Dibb discussed evaluating candidates and their work history and how the firm would deal with people who have a difficult background. Mr. Lynch advised this is why he believes a screening committee may be helpful. There can be more discussion of the vetting process in a screening committee. His knowledge of the candidates includes people that may be interested in applying, but he also knows the backstory of many candidate and would try to avoid getting the wrong fit.
Ms. Dibb asked how they would deal with an incomplete search if a candidate were to decline the position. Mr. Lynch has not experienced this before. The Town of Amherst was 3-2 and the candidate chose to withdraw, but the number 2 candidate was happily chosen.
For background checks, the do social media searches and check anything available online. They also use a firm out of Mansfield that does background checks. They use iCori, but Creative Services provides more extensive results.
Ms. Dibb discussed mixed results from a search committee - previously they wanted final candidates based on need. Mr. Lynch stated there is opportunity for more vetting discussion. In Avon they came to the Board with 4-5 good candidates. They did everything up to the resume screening and conducted interviews with the candidates, including preparing essay questions. Mr. Lynch has mixed feelings about the process. From interviews it was narrowed down from 10 to 4-5 candidates who were then interviewed by the Board of Selectmen. The Board ultimately chose a candidate.
There is a wide range of costs depending on the scope. Services would typically run between $8,000 - $10,000.
One thing the firm will do to get to know the community is hold a community forum. They will also dig into documents regarding past Town meetings.
The Board thanked the firm for coming.
Mr. Stillings discussed executive session versus open session for the screening committee. In his experience, information does come out that may not be said in open session. You are also paying for the firm’s connections.
Ms. Dibb stated the community profile was already done by another firm during the last Town Administrator search. The price range is right in range with what was done last time, it feels like a soup to nuts number.
Ms. Whiteman discussed the firm’s experience and the associates in the corporation.
7:38 p.m.: Municipal Resources Inc., Alan Gould
Mr. Gould introduced Bob Mercier. MRI has been around for 30 years and have worked on projects from South Carolina to Maine. They do recruitments more than anything and work mostly in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. In the past few months, they have done several large communities as well as small communities. They provide for a full range.
Mr. Gould discussed the current DPW search. MRI has posted ads with APWA, MMA, on the MRI website, with the RI League of Cities and Towns, Monster.com, and the Boston Globe. They have also reached out to UNH and UMASS alumni. It’s too early to tell what they will have. They will see resumes as they come up. They also have DPW specialist they can reach out to. The pool will not be huge as these positions are tough to fill. In Lebanon, NH they are now on the second round for DPW Director. It has been reposted for the second time. Because MRI does so much work in a broad area, they have a good reach for the search process. When they did Hanover, MA Town Administrator recruitment, they were able to recruit a prior candidate.
They can do everything from comprehensive recruitment to tailoring to what the Town needs. The cost ranges from $8,500 to $15,000 depending on the level of service and how much engagement they want from the community. The end result is usually the same. They can normally tell who the top 3-5 candidates will be during resume screening.
They provide a comprehensive process including phone interviews with each Board member to discuss challenges in the community. They put the challenge statement out to candidates. They will post the ad for 30 days. Based on interviews with the Board they will develop the essay questions. They will open an email address, so it can be open to the public for input in the firm. In a comprehensive recruitment they have done public forums, which add time and money to the process. 2-3 members of the firm would review and score all of the resumes, then they make a cut and send out essay questions to top tier candidates. They do not eliminate people who may not have the potential. They give them 10-14 days to submit the essays back, then they are reviewed and scored individually, after which the firm makes another cut. While candidates are being
scored, the recruitment coordinator is doing background checks on all remaining candidates. They will also schedule phone interviews with candidates to evaluate verbal skills and review background check issues. They are also able to ensure the essays were written by the individual. They want to understand every career move that every applicant has made.
It then comes down to what, if any, involvement of the community is wanted. A lot of times the top 3-5 candidates will be brought to the hiring body. The preference is that there is an interview panel. It can be a community panel or brought straight to the Board and they can help with negotiating the contract. The firm also does an investigative background check. MRI will make the offer conditional to negotiations and background check. Generally, the final negotiations need to be between the Board and the candidate because it will be the beginning of the business relationship.
A police consultant is assigned to complete the investigative report.
Recruitment without a ton of community involvement is $8,500 – this does not include advertising but does include the background. Advertising is typically $1,000 and includes the background on the final candidate.
Ms. Dibb asked what their process will be to get to know Rutland. Mr. Gould stated it is unfair for a town to try to do it on their own, they are not professional and do not have the resources. The firm does phone interviews with Board of Selectmen members individually so that people are honest and open. They want to give the candidates a realistic view of the good and bad so people will have correct expectations.
There was discussion about timing. They do the process deliberately. It is very competitive. They will look out for the Town’s best interest.
Mr. Gould stated the Town cannot settle. Ms. Dibb asked about community involvement. Mr. Gould recommended not doing a search committee. If you hire professionals to manage the process, let the professionals handle it. They are happy to do a forum and involve the department heads, but do not want to take the process away from the professionals and the hiring body.
They have worked with communities in which the community is engaged. It’s important not to let the community take over the process. Depending on the size of the committee, they can lose candidates in the process. Another concern with community involvement is that resumes are considered highly confidential.
In New Hampshire, most do not involve a community panel. Massachusetts communities tend to be involved more.
The process typically takes 60 days with the final timeframe about 90 days.
Ms. Dibb stated this would be the Town’s second Town Administrator ad wanted to know if untraditional candidates might be a good fit in Rutland. Mr. Gould would want to see the organizational chart. A non-traditional candidate may be more of a challenge in small communities. They have had great success with military personnel.
Rutland may not be staffed to the degree that a learning curve could be allowed.
Mr. Stillings stated it is nice to see a contrast. There was more discussion about community involvement.
Mr. Reed stated both firms have superb people working for them. He feels you couldn’t go wrong with either of the first two.
8:30 p.m.: Collins Center for Public Management, Mary Aicardi
The Collins Center just had its 10-year anniversary. The mission is to provide affordable consulting services to governments, mostly municipal. The college leads the recruitment process and Ms. Aicardi leads the rest of the HR practice. She has been with the Collins Center for 9 years. Ms. Aicardi has a background in HR. The Collins Center has done more than 50 searches and did the previous Town Administrator search for Rutland. The Town could get a discount of 30% off with a cost of $9,800. Some of the work is already done, but this does not presume that there haven’t been changes. The always start the process with a profile. The most important thing is to get the profile correct. They have learned that it was good to have a public forum to give people a chance to show up. It is up to the Board to decide what they are looking for in
the next Town Administrator. They will interview each Board member individually so they may give their own perspective. They will review challenges for the position, the municipality, and the characteristics needed to make a good Town Administrator. They want it to be forward thinking and consider what the next chapter is for the Town. They then advertise and do direct recruitment. Sometimes the best person for a job is not looking for a job. They recommend that a screening committee is used as it acts as a buffer. One or two Board members can participate. They recommend 5 participants on the screening committee. The screening committee must be able to meet and put forward the right number of candidates to the Board. The screening committee is done when the candidates are moved forward. The Board is the deciding body.
The backgrounds are done before a finalist is brought forward. It can take up to 10 days. Screening committees like to see all of the resumes and then resumes are marked for those who meet the qualifications. The firm creates a book of resumes for the screening committee. They do not share them by email, but by mail. They strongly focus on confidentiality and help create questions that are not in violation of law and align with the created profile. The screening process was discussed. The firm recommended that interviews are conducted in close proximity.
Ms. Dibb asked what they already know about Rutland to help determine the right fit. Ms. Aicardi stated there is a community sense. It is a town on the move, and it is growing. They do not want to presume that they know what the Town wants. In the last process, they learned that there is an interesting set up for finance. There has been a successful transition to having a Town Administrator. It will be attractive because they will not be the first Town Administrator. Having different people involved will provide a fresh set of eyes. It is what the Board tells them, then they can relay to the candidates about what is most important. What Ms. Aicardi suggested is to look at the job description and ask if it worked, was it right and do the priorities or challenges need to be tweaked. Ms. Dibb asked where the pool will come from. Ms. Aicardi
stated people are at different places in their careers. There has been a lot of less experienced people placed recently. This will be the next great job for them. People are developing and probably ready for Rutland. They are seeing high pay in a lot of areas. The pool will have candidates from smaller towns for which this could be a step up. This may be the target audience. It is suggested to put in a range of pay. They always advertise on the ICMA, which is nationwide. They also do a lot of direct emailing to recruit.
Mr. Stillings asked about their network connections. The firm has worked for over 200 municipalities. In the past 55 searches, they have all had placement and pools of candidates. The Collins Center also have staff at every level. They work with lots of pools of candidates. They focus on the public sector associations. Ms. Aicardi believes you need some familiarity with professional government.
Ms. Dibb asked about the discounted price, as it is already higher than the competition. She asked if the price can be reviewed. Ms. Aicardi stated that if the Board wants to hire her it can be looked at.
Interviews ended at 9:04 p.m.
Ms. Dibb stated the Board can make a choice, go into executive session and return to open session. Mr. Clark stated that the Collins Center wants a lot of outside assistance. There was discussion about competitive pricing. Ms. Dibb stated that from the search money they could pay the accountant $10,000 and hire a candidate from the first round that withdrew. It is a question about where you want to spend the money.
Mr. Stillings stated the first group comes with a strong network.
Mr. Reed stated Ms. Aicardi would go down to $9,000.
Mr. Clark stated he would lean toward the first speaker.
Mr. Clark moved to contact Community Paradigm Associates to discuss moving forward with a Town Administrator search. Mr. Stillings 2nd. Vote unanimous.
Mr. Reed asked about pricing and what the range is. The Board would like to see what comes with $8,000 versus $10,000. There was discussion about a community forum being included in $8.000. Mr. Reed will get more details on pricing. The Board will determine the extent of the services.
Ms. Whiteman moved to enter executive session for reason #6, only to return to open session for the purpose of adjournment. Mr. Clark 2nd. Roll call: Mr. Clark – aye, Mr. Walker – aye, Ms. Dibb – aye, Ms. Whiteman – aye, Mr. Stillings – aye.
Executive Session (reason # 6) To consider the purchase, exchange, lease or value of real property if the chair declares that an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the negotiating position of the public body. (Marsh Field)
The Board moved to Executive Session at 9:18 p.m.
The Board returned to Open Session at 9:55 p.m.
Mr. Stillings moved to adjourn. Mr. Clark 2nd. Vote unanimous.
The meeting adjourned at 9:55 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
Abby Benoit
Administrative Secretary
Board of Selectmen
Approved ____
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