The relationship between a City Council and the City Manager (CAO in some cases) is the most important connection in a municipal government. With the Council responsible for setting budgets and policies, it is the City Manager who is responsible for implementing those policies and dealing with staff, operating and capital budgets, and the general welfare of the community.

Hiring a new City Manager is one of the most important decisions that any Council will make. It sets a tone for the civic employees, impacts union relationships and negotiations, shows the kind of community the Council wants to build, and is an indication to the people of that community that the Council is both competent and forward-thinking in its hiring processes.

I was part of hiring a few City Managers during my many years on Council. It should be a serious process, done in private to protect the candidates—presumably many of who have a good job already. It is a tough process if done right, and creates enormous—and usually expensive—problems when done poorly.

Here is a story about how NOT to hire a city manager. Brace yourself:

Madeira Beach is a small city of 4,400 on the Gulf Coast of Florida. Tourism swells the population by thousands more in the winter. The City Commission (their Council) has a Mayor and four Commissioners. It is a bitterly divided group of five, with two versus three—and the two are facing recall petitions.

Madeira Beach needed a new City Manager because it fired the previous one, then hired the then-Fire Chief, then unhired him, and then...well, you need a scorecard.

The city attracted 38 candidates who applied for the City Manager job, and then in its infinite wisdom in a public meeting winnowed the list to 5. Yes, I said in public. The Commissioners voted for their favourites. And discussed people, by name, in public. They created a top 5 list'. The public spoke about some candidates. It was quite a time.

There was much unhappiness in the public, in the media, pretty much everywhere. Newspaper columnists mocked the city. Coffee shops buzzed with names and qualifications. Then the Commission hastily called a meeting with little public notice to finalize the hiring of the gentleman chosen in the 3-2 vote. Reports are that the contact was finalized just minutes before the session began. 

The new hiree had been the City Manager in another small Florida city and was fired last year. That city is being investigated by the Palm Beach State Attorney and the FBI's corruption unit. According to the Tampa Bay Times, "His messy firing had followed his investigation of personal and fiscal misconduct by some of his staff and two of his sitting commissioners."

Citizens of Madeira Beach had a couple of opportunities to publicly comment on the candidates, and many took that opportunity to heart. Several argued against hiring the gentleman finally chosen by a majority of the Commission. 

It will all make for a rather awkward welcome party.

Then, and you'll have to sit down and hold your head in your hands for this, the Madeira Beach Commission announced they had also chosen a back-up person to assume the City Manager position—just in case the new hire doesn't work out! And they named that person. Yup, publicly identified the Number Two-in-waiting.

That's a fine vote of confidence for the newbie. No need to be concerned at all about your job security. Who's that shadowy figure lurking in the hallways? No one to worry about, nosiree. And have a happy day.

The job will pay about $145,000 in salary and benefits. I'm not sure there is enough money in the world to make the job attractive.

The lessons here are so many it is hard to know where to start. The obvious issue, of course, is who would apply for the position if she or he had a good job already, knowing it would be made public and would inevitably impact their current job. Then there is the whole messy business of the new selection knowing his or her hiring was a one-vote margin on a badly dysfunctional council. There is already public anger and distrust of the new hire. And then finally, of course, the incredibly stupid decision to announce by name a back-up choice hovering in the background. It is all quite stunning. And all quite true.