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<br />MEMORANDUM <br /> <br />12 March 2008 <br /> <br />TO: Arden Hills Mayor and Council <br />FROM: Harry Brull, PDI <br /> <br />RE: City Administrator Selection <br /> <br />At the Mayor's request, I have reviewed input from my preliminary interviews with Mayor/Council <br />to ensure consensus regarding skills, qualities, and priorities for the next administrator. <br />Consistency in what you are looking for is critical in deciding who best fits Arden Hill's needs as <br />you collectively define them. <br /> <br />From reviewing my notes, a number of things stand out: <br />. There is little disagreement regarding skills and qualities <br />. Different members of Council have different priorities for skills/qualities desired <br />. There is some disagreement regarding the next administrator's preferred response when <br />he/she disagrees with Council. <br /> <br />The issue of disagreement with council probably arises from Michelle's approach. Some on <br />Council saw her as taking on an adversarial stance when she disagreed. Of the four three <br />Council members who raised the issue, three spoke using words such as "affirm Council", "not <br />argue", "support Council". One member used words such as "independent; not afraid to bring up <br />unpopular things to Council. All agreed that the administrator must accept and carry out Council <br />decisions even if he/she does not personally agree. <br /> <br />Themes most consistently expressed by members: <br />. Connect to the community <br />. Provide stable empowering leadership with a sense of accountability <br />. Display strong interpersonal skills and develop relationships <br />. Be fiscally astute and negotiate well on the part of the city <br />. Coach, mentor, and develop staff <br />. Find efficiencies in operations <br />. Demonstrate integrity and strong work ethic <br />. Follow up; encourage team work <br /> <br />Priorities for the next administrator <br />. TCMP and other development/redevelopment issues <br />. Transportation issues <br />. Examine organizational structure and recommend changes as required <br /> <br />It appears as if the largest issue of contention is preferred response when the administrator does <br />not agree with Council. This may be an issue of style, political sawy, timing, etc. rather than a <br />issue of "should or shouldn't. I can certainly focus upon this in the assessment process, both in <br />your interviews and in the PDI managerial assessment. <br /> <br />I look forward to moving the process forward and having you interact with candidates. I think we <br />have a strong applicant pool. <br />Please feel free to call me (612.337.8233) or E-mail (harry.brull@personneldecisions) if I can be <br />of further help. <br /> <br />Harry Brull <br />