Worthington City Manager and City Council

[Mike]

WARD addressed City Council last night, regarding the non-appointment of a City Manager. This is the text of that statement:

December 4, 2023

To Worthington City Council:

WARD continues to be gravely concerned with the inaction by Council, and additional information we have learned through public sources, about the process for hiring a new City Manager. Another Spotlight article was published on December 1st, and once again it is the primary source for information given the absence of any official communications from the City. Given the dearth of information communicated about the search process and the protracted delay in appointing someone, WARD submitted a public records request earlier today for any and all documents regarding the recruitment and hiring of a city manager. While we understand the discussions in Executive Session are confidential, communications about whether and why to convene executive sessions, and discussions about executive sessions, prior and afterward, as they relate to the City Manager hiring process are not privileged confidential communications.

According to the most recent Spotlight article, 4 different Council members (Pete Bucher, Bonnie Michael, Doug Smith, and Katy Brewer) were non-committal about when a decision is expected. Unfortunately, no Council member has offered any explanation for the delay. The only substantive comments offered about the process, other than it taking longer than anticipated, have been positive. Doug Smith characterized the executive search firm as “excellent” in his November 10th blog post after saying in August to the Spotlight that it had provided Council with a “slate of high-quality candidates.” Doug further was quoted in the December Spotlight article as saying “we had a good process and found some highly qualified candidates.” David Robinson was quoted in the August 4, 2023 Spotlight article as saying “[T]he city has ‘conducted a thorough national search’ and has ‘a diverse pool with a wide range of backgrounds.’” It is hard to understand how a good process with an excellentconsultant paid in excess of $20,000 that has produced a pool of highly qualified, diverse candidates has failed to result in Worthington naming a new City Manager.

Five candidates identified five months ago back in July were all interviewed, plus at least one additional candidate was interviewed thereafter. There were reportedly two finalists for the City Manager position back in October. The lengthy delay by Council is troublesome in several respects. First, it is unrealistic to expect candidates to remain available, in limbo, for months on end. Indeed, one of the five candidates interviewed has accepted another position and is no longer available. Another applicant, acting City Manager Robyn Stewart, removed her name for consideration before interviews even started. And it is important to understand that Council has put these candidates at possible risk with their current employers while they stall for no apparent reason. Second, the delay suggests Council is unable to function as it should. Council members should set aside whatever differences they may have for the greater good of serving the community who elected them to appoint a qualified city manager.

One would hope that Council would have unanimous agreement on the appointment of a City Manager to set the tone for a good working relationship. No one on Council has complained about the consulting firm failing to produce good candidates or the selection process. If Council is not going to do its job and appoint a city manager before the end of the year when the composition of Council changes, at a minimum Council should provide the public with a thorough, substantive explanation for the delay, something more than vague statements that the process is taking longer than anticipated.