By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com
Another philosophical discussion about traits that City Council members would like in a new administrator for Yachats turned into a more frank conversation Thursday when the city’s second interim manager said the city must first “get its own house in order.”
“You’re setting up someone for failure under the current situation,” interim manager Katherine Guenther told council members Thursday. “If I was new and came into this situation I’d leave by lunch time.”
Staffing at Yachats City Hall has been in chaos since the abrupt departure of the city’s first interim manager June 3, the ending of a contract for an administrative assistant the previous week and the resignation of its community services coordinator the week before that.
The council then made Guenther, who had started in March as its contract planner, its second interim city manager — but also having her continue the planning duties.
But other than a part-time contractor handling financial duties, there are just two employees in City Hall – Guenther and deputy city recorder Kimmie Jackson.
Guenther is a longtime Yachats resident and former Realtor. But other than serving on the Planning Commission for 14 years, Guenther had no formal training or experience in municipal planning when she was hired. She told the council Thursday she is racing to continue learning elements of the planning job and keep up with “an unprecedented construction boom.”
And that says nothing about learning the city manager’s duties, helping re-open the city, and deal with everything from taking the flags down at night, learning software program to create a monthly newsletter, to dealing with an activist City Council.
“I’m committed to sticking it out until we’ve figured out staffing … but you cannot drop someone into this,” Guenther told the council. “I just think we need to know exactly what we’re asking someone to take on so we don’t run off a really good candidate.”
Do-it-yourself search
After a changeover in the council in January, former city manager Shannon Beaucaire left in April for a job in Carlton. The council quickly hired Lee Elliott of Texas to serve as an interim manager – hoping he liked the job well enough to stay. He consistently urged the council to begin seeking a permanent manager, but the council did not work on that regularly until he gave notice in May and left in early June.
Instead of spending $15,000 to $25,000 to hire a firm to help it conduct a city manager search, the council took on the job itself. Council members created a long document and brochure, and unsuccessfully sought a local resident to manage the process.
On Thursday, Mayor Leslie Vaaler again initiated a workshop discussion of what councilors wanted in a manager.
Shortly after that discussion began, Councilor Greg Scott for the second straight meeting openly suggested that Guenther might be the best fit for the job.
“I have been hinting we may have found our city manager … but we have to give her support,” which we have not, Scott said. “It’s hard to see someone better in this position than Katherine.”
When asked by Vaaler to respond to Scott’s statement, Guenther said “I don’t know yet” and asked for time to think about it.
Councilor Anthony Muirhead pressed the council to get on with the search “before it’s December and we’re still sitting here.”
“If she’s interested in the job we need to consider her,” Muirhead said. “But we need to go through the search process still … and if Katherine is the best candidate, then that’s fine.”
After more talk about what an advertisement would say and the recruitment letter would look like, Scott then cut in to express his frustration.
“I don’t really care about the advertisement,” he said. “We need to make the job more attractive by resolving our staffing issues.
“This is the worst possible time to be advertising for a city manager when we have two people in the office and an avalanche of work,” Scott said.
That’s when Guenther weighed in to say the current situation could not continue.
“It’s been chaotic since I arrived in the planner’s role,” she said, adding that she’s had three bosses – including herself – since March. “It’s a crazy situation.”
Hiring help? Maybe
The meeting then dissolved into whether Guenther has the authority to hire temporary help or permanent staffers. According to her contract, the council must approve any hiring she proposes.
The council has approved a position to handle finances and possibly other duties, but has not advertised it. Councilor Ann Stott reminded the council that the community services coordinator position is approved in the budget – and encouraged Guenther to advertise to fill it.
“… let’s just move forward with this and let Katherine do her job,” said Stott, acknowledging turmoil within the council.
Guenther said she has a “much better idea now than four weeks ago” of what kind of organization and people the city needs.
Despite all the other daily work that needs done, Muirhead urged Guenther to “drive” the hiring process.
But the council arrived at no other decisions or solutions to help with the workload at City Hall. Vaaler did suggest a special meeting to work more on city manager recruitment, but was unable to get a consensus when that should be.
Maybe Yachats shouldn’t always be running people off. Sounds like a nightmare. Wouldn’t want to be in Miss. Guenther’s shoes. They will keep piling on work and taking advantage. Money can’t buy everything.
One of the challenge is that the council continues to think of Yachats as a small town. The town is small, but the needed services are larger and more complicated then the “good olde boy/girl club”. I mean that by Councilor Scott’s suggestion of just appointing Katherine Guenther. I like Katherine and I think she could do the job, but what Yachats needs is a person willing to work hard, carry multiple hats, and make the tough decisions the council can’t, with experience in running a municipal government or at least a department within a larger municipality.
The City Council also need to remember that the city manager form of government is intended to have a strong staff with council setting the policy and direction. From what I have read, the council still wants more of a strong mayor or borough chief approach. Nothing wrong with that latter approaches, but council needs to be able and willing to get their hands dirty.
Please use my tax dollars wisely and do a formal recruitment and see what we can attract. I have to believe there is a community development director or assistant city manager who would be a great fit.