The Search for City Manager
By Tim Holmes
The contract for the City of San Leandro’s City Manager, John Jermanis, is due to expire on June 30, 2008. Jermanis has been an employee of the City of San Leandro since the early 1970s, starting as an assistant financial planner, and has been City Manager since 1997.
Jermanis has intimated before that he will retire soon, and indeed his contract has been extended a number of times. If Jermanis chooses to retire this year, it will be a rare opportunity for our city.
City managers are the “CEO” of a city, while the City Council is similar to a board of directors. The City Manager can set a vision for the workings of the city and change how things run. Our City Council needs to cast a wide net in its search for the right candidate for this position to ensure San Leandro gets the best and most qualified candidate. We must be able to choose from candidates who are competent, visionary, and reflect the gender, ethnic, and racial makeup of San Leandro.
Currently the process is not clearly defined. The City Council has to choose either to appoint someone on its own, seemingly without any process at all, hand the task over to the City’s Human Resources department to go through its usual recruitment process (one assumes), or hire an executive search firm to find appropriate candidates for the position. In any of these cases, direction from the City Council will set the tone and breadth of the candidates to which we are exposed.
This critical position must be filled with the best possible choice. The process to select that person must be open, clearly defined, fair to all, and allow for the best possible candidate to rise to the top. Email or call your councilmember and let them know you want them to actively support no less than a full and open search for the best possible City Manager for San Leandro.
Contact information for your council member can be found at http://www.ci.sanleandro.ca.us/slcitycouncil.html
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