The creaky mechanism for finding a new city manager to replace Glen Peace is finally clicking along.The city has hired a headhunting firm, job ads are appearing in the national papers and a target date of Oct. 1 has been set for having Hamilton's next top bureaucrat sitting at his or her desk.
Councillor Russ Powers, chair of the steering committee tasked with interviewing candidates and recommending a final choice, says members aren't looking for an agent of change in the mode of a Doug Lychak.
They want a staff leader who will continue to implement agreed upon strategic objectives such as growing the economy. "We don't want somebody coming in reinventing the wheel," Powers said.
Peace announced his resignation in March. He left the job at the end of June. And finance director Joe Rinaldo has been appointed interim city manager until the position is filled.
If the legwork to find a new broom seems slow (actually it's roughly in line with previous hirings), blame it on the tedious RFP process they first had to go through just to choose a headhunter.
The committee ended up selecting the national firm of Ray & Berndtson and earmarked $60,000 for the search-and-find mission.
Applicants are welcome from both the private and public sectors, as well as from existing staffers.
No internal candidate has submitted a resume yet, but Scott Stewart, general manager of public works, has said he intends to.
Other senior staffers widely expected to throw their hats into the ring are Chris Murray, director of the city's housing division and former pointman on the Red Hill Valley project, and Jo-Anne Priel, general manager of community services.
It's generally believed Rinaldo will resist the temptation to take the plunge and that Tim McCabe, the newish general manager of economic development and planning, is circling the bait, but might not bite.
There's also speculation that Dave Logan, the former head of labour relations for the city who left in '06 to work for the provincial government, may be eyeing the post.
The newspaper ads certainly make it sound like an attractive position, even without reference to a salary and benefit package of about $200,000 a year.
"With its diverse economy, lakeside location and extraordinary community spirit, Hamilton is a lively and livable city that's located in the heart of Canada's most populous province," says the career ad.
No argument there. That's absolutely true. This is a great city to live and work in.
The ad makes note of our internationally renowned educational institutions and hospitals, our manufacturing, health care and agriculture-based industries, and the happy fact that Site Selection, a real estate and economic development magazine, rated Hamilton as the fifth best location in Canada for investing and growing a business.
Again, no argument. As long as the economy stays on the rails, this city is ready to boom.
It's only when the ad starts talking glowingly about the new city manager working closely with the mayor and city council that the rose starts to wilt.
But, really, what do we expect from a job ad? It's not supposed to poison the well, is it?
It can't talk about our well intentioned but inconsistent and struggling mayor and his divided and frequently muddled council.
It can't talk about the infighting and backstabbing and the intense media scrutiny that makes city hall a combination bear pit and toxic fishbowl.
No, let prospective candidates do their own due diligence.
But let's at least give them a cryptic clue about what to expect by sharing what, in my books, will always be this city's unofficial slogan, courtesy of political gadfly and unsuccessful council candidate Mark-Alan Whittle.
Hamilton: Get used to it.
Andrew Dreschel's commentary appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
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In association with The World According to: MAW
In association with The World According to: MAW
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