Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-24-97 WS MINUTES OF THE OCOEE CITY COMMISSION WORKSHOP FOR INTERVIEWS FOR THE POSITION OF CITY MANAGER HELD JANUARY 24, 1997 Mayor Vandergrift called the Workshop for interviews for the position of City Manager to order at 4:10 p.m. in the Commission Chambers. The roll was called and a quorum declared present. PRESENT: Mayor Vandergrift, Commissioners Anderson, Glass and Gleason and City Clerk Grafton. ABSENT: Commissioner Johnson. INTERVIEWS FOR THE POSITION OF CITY MANAGER 1\1ayor Vandergrift announced that Mr. Jack Howly would give his biography first. Mr. Howly advised he is married and has twins, age 16, in Ocala and a 20-year-old son at the University of Wisconsin. He then gave his background and training. Commissioner Gleason asked him to relate his management philosophy, how he would delegate and deal with subordinates. Mr. Howly spoke about his philosophy of the role of higher level manage-ment in city government, advising that his style was open, inclusive and team-oriented and involved tapping the best ideas and having standing staff and ad hoc committees. He related his belief in a strong management staff and expressed his view of department head responsibilities. He did not characterize himself as autocratic and thought the job should be done in an expeditious manner. Commissioner Gleason asked what he thought the employees of Marion County, Florida, or Fon du lac, Wisconsin, where Mr. Howly was previously employed, would tell him if he asked what they thought about Mr. Howly. Mr. Howly stated he thought they would say he had a team approach; that he was a taskmaster with high expectations, expecting as much from employees as from himself, which is probably too much to expect of an employee. Commissioner Gleason stated he noted a wealth of experience in Mr. Howly's resume but wanted to know why the job in Marion County only lasted a year. Mr. Howly explained his understanding of the desires of Marion County, with 26 departments and five full time commissioners, regarding community growth to go to professional management, but they could not turn the corner and proceed in that direction. Trying to bring the city management form of government to county management in Florida was a challenge, and it was not a good marriage. Commissioner Glass related that the City had a history of having a fractious council and that there were a number of citizens in support of the current City Manager. He asked Mr. Howly for examples of similar community conflicts with which he had dealt and how he tried to address them positively. Mr. Howly said he had not seen a similar situation, but he saw the role of the City Manager as heading the administration and ensuring that the policy, prerogatives and desires OCOEE CITY COMMISSION WORKSHOP FOR INTERVIEWS FOR THE POSITION OF CITY MANAGER JANUARY 24, 1997 of the commission were carried out independent of the political issues. His opinion was that city managers should be astute but not part of the political process, which is also part of the code of ethics for city managers. Commissioner Johnson arrived at 4:20 p.m. Mayor Vandergrift asked if he had been involved in setting up a CRA, Community Redevelopment Authority. Mr. Howly stated he had, particularly in Wisconsin and New England. There were CRAs, also CDAs, Community Development Authorities, which are operated differently from state to state because of statutes, and he explained the concept. Commissioner Anderson listed the questions he had asked privately. He then related he had heard Mr. Howly was a micro-manager and that he had a problem with the "good 01' boy network" and refused to budge. He asked him to expound on both. Mr. Howly replied those were someone else's comments, and he thought that person should defend what he had said. He said he had high expectations, liking things to be done correctly, and did not picture himself as a micro-manager but as a delegator. However, when an issue arose of high priority to the city council/ commissioners, he got involved to make sure that people did not enjoy a learning experience at the city's/county's expense. Regarding the "good 01' boy network," he stated he would not comment. He said some things in Marion County needed to be changed, and some things, as a matter of law or professional ethics, needed to be done differently. Commissioner Johnson advised he had not been involved much in the process and did not want to interview him for the position but wanted to ask some questions. He stated for the record: "I personally believe we have the City Manager we need for the City. That's not what we were supposed to do, but like I said, I know it's nothing against you, but that's my, my feelings." He then asked him what his concerns were with taking the job considering the present Commission, the possibility of a change at the time of the election, and the possibility that the voters would have a chance to choose a strong mayor form of government and what type of contract stipulations would he need to be more at ease if the job were offered to him. He also wanted to know if he had been talking to any of the Commissioners on the phone. Mr. Howly stated he had a very brief conversation with a Commissioner. Regarding the first question, the potential lack of stability was a concern, but in this business, people and managers change. The issue of the change in the form of government was a concern because the city manager and strong mayor form of government are not compatible. He stated there had been nothing to this point that would make him withdraw his application, but it was something that had caught his attention. Commissioner Johnson then asked about the contract stipulations or ifhe wanted a contract. Mr. Howly stated most managers have contracts, and the International City Management Association has a contract available to commissions since the relationship between a commission 2 OCOEE CITY COMMISSION WORKSHOP FOR INTERVIEWS FOR THE POSITION OF CITY MANAGER JANUARY 24, 1997 and the city manager is different from the relationship with other employees. He thought certain circumstances should be special and recognized as such. He also thought employment agreements needed severance provisions because of the nature of the business. Commissioner Johnson asked about the circumstances surrounding the termination of his last position and if would he have done anything differently that might have allowed him to keep the position. Mr. Howly stated he probably could have stayed on the job in Marion County if he had gone with the flow, but that was not the sole reason. He felt there was an implied oath of office city managers had to the community and council to provide efficient and effective government and policy advice. He said going contrary to that was contrary to his approach to good government. Therefore, it was better that he move on than try to survive at the expense of the community. He said some things could have been done differently but he chose not to do them and would do the same thing again. He also spoke about his leaving F on du lac and gave reasons for leaving other positions. Commissioner Anderson advised that the citizens were demanding that the City roll back the millage tax to the 1995 rate and asked what steps Mr. Howly would take to balance the budget with a 9% reduction in funds. Mr. Howly stated there were ways to balance the budget in the next fiscal year, but the issue would be a long range economic plan, which would provide for economic development and increasing the tax base so that, hopefully, tax revenue could be decreased through any of the economic development approaches. He said it would be difficult to address in the next few months, which was involved in next year's budget. He thought there were many examples around the country of privatization and government competition, allowing the private sector to bid for government services and letting the city departments bid against those. He said he thought that approach forced the city to look at the way things are done. Mayor Vandergrift asked what role Mr. Howly had in the All American City designation in Marion County, and did TQM payor cost. Mr. Howly advised the designation of All American City was made the year before he arrived, but he participated in the celebration. He said he thought the community could gain from TQM if it were done properly. The gains could be higher quality services at better cost and higher employee morale. Commissioner Glass asked Mr. Howly to describe his negotiation style when dealing with developers, both residential and industrial, and asked who would be on his team and what roles they would play. Mr. Howly stated the successful and quantum steps in economic development happen because the community happens to be in the right place at the right time with government helping it happen. For development teams, he usually had standing teams of department heads to look at the project with a staff person as liaison. He felt that part of the team effort was creating the attitude of making it happen and making sure the community was supportive of growth. 3 OCOEE CITY COMMISSION WORKSHOP FOR INTERVIEWS FOR THE POSITION OF CITY MANAGER JANUARY 24,1997 Commissioner Glass asked Mr. Howly if his style of negotiation was different dealing with another local government such as Orange County regarding fire coverage areas, reimbursement or annexations, as opposed to a developer or industry. Mr. Howly stated he felt the strategy was a little different in dealing with government. He thought it was important to have rapport between the chief administrators and try to work with a team approach. He felt there would be times when it would be necessary to be more assertive and take things to the media and not deal the way with government the same as with a private developer. Those are not all the answers, but it is different, qualitatively different. Commissioner Gleason said he had a brief conversation with Mr. Howly the morning following the workshop, and he wanted to indicate to Mr. Howly that there was a group of citizens there who were angry and a little militant toward their continuing the process. He felt that in order for the interviews to be successful the candidates had the right to know the environment they were entering in order to make the decision on whether to come, knowing exactly what they were walking into, particularly since there were some comments made that they were going to be contacted and notified that they were not welcome in the community. He then asked Mr. Howly what he considered to be his strongest asset and the thing for which he receives the most criticism. Mr. Howly stated his strongest asset was his understanding and commitment to government, public involvement, and keeping the staff focused. His weakness would be trying to balance home life and work or expecting as much from the employees as from himself. Mr. Howly expressed his appreciation for the time and said he could appreciate some of the issues in the City. Mayor Vandergrift thanked him and his wife for their time. Mayor Vandergrift asked Mr. Jeffrey Broughton for his biography. Mr. Broughton stated his wife is Regina. They have been married 18 years and have three children, a son, age 16, a daughter, age 14, and a son, age 11. He gave a history of his education and work. A change in the council after an election in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, a year and a half before resulted in a request for a new city manager. He went to work for an engineering company, realized he is a city manager and started the process of finding a new city. Commissioner Johnson advised Mr. Broughton that at least two members of the Commission favored the rehiring of the current City Manager, and in about four weeks, the election was going to change at least two, possibly four, commission seats. A question could go to the voters from the Charter Review Commission regarding a change from city manager to a strong mayor form of government. He asked if he had trouble with that. Mr. Broughton said ifhe were the number one candidate looking at the possibility of a charter change, protections would have to be 4 OCOEE CITY COMMISSION WORKSHOP FOR INTERVIEWS FOR THE POSITION OF CITY MANAGER JANUARY 24, 1997 considered and discussed in an employment agreement. He said he was still interested in the position. Commissioner Johnson asked Mr. Broughton ifhe would need stipulations in his contract in the event he was suddenly asked to leave. Mr. Broughton said that happened to him and he would not be willing to move 500 miles without consideration of some protections with respect to separation. Commissioner Johnson stated there were concerned citizens who were for Ellis Shapiro, not against Mr. Broughton, but they were not militant; they were citizens and business people of the town speaking out. Mr. Johnson said he read where Mr. Broughton had gotten the bond rating of Oak Ridge up to AA and asked if he had a lot of experience with that. Mr. Broughton said the city was very active in the bond market because the community had failed to maintain its infrastructure and had reached the point where it was growing. The city put together a ten-year financial plan and sold the rating agencies on the fact that they knew they were charting their own destiny by being proactive financially. The rating went from an A to an A+ to AA. Commissioner Anderson stated he wanted the record to show he asked Mr. Broughton the same ten questions he asked Mr. Howly and restated two questions he had asked Mr. Broughton. Mr. Anderson stated the feedback he was getting from Oak Ridge and from Ocoee was that Mr. Broughton was self-important and asked how he would overcome this perception of him. If self-importance were one of his traits, how was he going to interact with staff since this can be intimidating. Mr. Broughton said he felt the majority of the city employees in Oak Ridge would give positive comments, and he expounded on the reasons. He stated he worked very hard to build a team and did not allow dissention to be aired publicly among senior staff. Internal differences of opinion were respected and understood, but once decisions were made, they marched together as a staff. Regarding self-importance, he said the best impression is made by being open and communicative. He stated his interactions were very courteous and respectful. He maintained an open door policy in Oak Ridge and would follow it in Ocoee. He also stated he would get out into the community, especially to sports events with his school-age children. 1\Iayor Vandergrift asked what role he played in the Tree City, USA designation for Oak Ridge, the establishment of a youth advisory board and a home bound library program, and the construction of an outdoor performing arts pavilion. Mr. Broughton commented on everything but the home bound library program, stating his goal was finding the best people and putting them in leadership roles, letting them use their talents to make the organization better, giving credit where credit is due. 5 OCOEE CITY COMMISSION WORKSHOP FOR INTERVIEWS FOR THE POSITION OF CITY MANAGER JANUARY 24, 1997 Commissioner Glass asked Mr. Broughton to describe his negotiating style and strategies in dealing with developers or industry thinking about coming to Ocoee, including who would be on his team and what roles they would play. Mr. Broughton stated he would involve the senior players - utilities, public works, planning, code enforcement, the staff attorney , etc. Regarding style, he stated he would have to understand how badly the project was desired and what was expected as defined by the council and regulatory controls and work with the developers with the least amount of give on the side ofthe city. Commissioner Gleason asked how he and the staff would handle an issue that was presented to the commission but the commission took a different position from what was recommended. Mr. Broughton said they would regroup and move forward as if the decision had been theirs. He said the commission should always have sufficient data from staff to make an informed decision. Commissioner Gleason asked what he considered to be his greatest asset and what he considered his weakness or what would generate the most criticism of him. Mr. Broughton stated he believed his greatest asset was being able to have a big picture outlook on government and the community and being able to identify long-term issues and start moving the council and the community in the direction that leads. He believed his weakness was having high expectations of performance from staff because he liked to surround himself with the best people possible. Commissioner Glass asked how his negotiation style was different when dealing with different governments, including the county, from dealing with developers or industry. Mr. Broughton stated he thought his style was one of trying to work with others rather than going over or through them. The goal was not to form an adversary but to keep relations on a professional, friendly basis. Mayor Vandergrift asked how he felt about TQM and empowering the employees. Mr. Broughton said he believed in giving the authority to the people doing the work, which meant pushing decision-making down as low as possible, and he believed very strongly in the philosophy behind TQM. Commissioner Anderson stated the citizens were asking for a rollback to the 1995 millage rate and asked how Mr. Broughton would balance the budget with a 9% reduction in funds. Mr. Broughton stated he could not answer that question. He said a 9% reduction in the general fund would mean people. Commissioner Anderson advised that all the employees have a one-year probationary period and asked if he would agree to that in his contract and asked if the City Manager should have 6 OCOEE CITY COMMISSION WORKSHOP FOR INTERVIEWS FOR THE POSITION OF CITY MANAGER JANUARY 24, 1997 special perquisites in his retirements, health benefits and leave accrual. Mr. Broughton stated the negotiation of an employment agreement involved give and take. There would be important things to both sides and a middle ground. He stated a manager should not come in expecting benefits that are not the norm in the profession or in the community but should stay within the parameters of what was considered reasonable by the average citizen. Commissioner Gleason asked if the roles were reversed what would he be looking for in a person to be hired for city manager. Mr. Broughton stated he would be looking for a competent person with whom they would feel comfortable and who would stay at least five years. Commissioner Gleason then asked why the Commission should consider him to be the primary candidate. Mr. Broughton stated he had a track record of staying and had a goal of staying at his next job at least six years. Commissioner Glass asked if there was anything in his background that would embarrass the City. Mr. Broughton said there were no skeletons in his closet. Because of the security nature of Oak Ridge, he was cleared by the Department of Energy. The FBI did the clearance check and gave him a Q clearance, the highest clearance. Mr. Glass then asked if an ethics complaint had ever been filed against him. Mr. Broughton replied no. Mayor Vandergrift stated he noted on his resume that Mr. Broughton was very involved in the community. He asked what role the city manager could play in the community with a part time mayor, who to some degree is the spokesman for the City. Mr. Broughton said the role of the city manager in the community was determined to some degree by the council, but he felt that the greater the interaction of the city manager with the citizens, the greater the comfort zone became regarding the feelings of the city toward the manager in the area of competence. Regarding interaction with the mayor and the commission, the city manager did not want to be seen as giving preferential treatment. His policy was that if one commissioner asked for information, a memo giving that information was sent to all members of the commission. Commissioner Anderson asked what steps he would take to reduce taxes without cutting city jobs or consolidating departments. Mr. Broughton said it is the responsibility of the city manager to run the city as effectively as possible. He said his goal would be to decrease taxes and improve services, which is probably unrealistic. Mayor Vandergrift thanked Mr. Broughton for coming and the audience for their interest. Mr. Broughton expressed his appreciation for the opportunity to return. 7 OCOEE CITY COMMISSION WORKSHOP FOR INTERVIEWS FOR THE POSITION OF CITY MANAGER JANUARY 24, 1997 Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 5:50 p.m. Attest: APPROVED City of Ocoee ..,.-'-~ <<,,'-- ".. ;.'J,~ l,t'{ [/0<..:. 6'1 S. Scott Vandergrift, Mayor 8