August 18, 2005

The Village Manager Search Committee is seeking feedback on a draft statement that describes the ideal candidate for the job of Village manager.

Input from the community, said Bruce Rickenbach, a member of Village Council who is serving on the search committee, will “help us get the best description we can get, the best collective wisdom we can apply to this.”

Rickenbach called the statement the “centerpiece selection tool” that will be used to select the person who replaces Rob Hillard, who is resigning as manager at the beginning of September.

The description will tell candidates “ ‘here’s what we’re looking for. Tell us how you fit that description,’ ” Rickenbach said last week.

The search committee, which Council charged with leading the manager selection process, is inviting the community to comment and provide feedback on the statement.

The committee is planning two forums, on Wednesday, Aug. 24, for Yellow Springers to discuss the description and tell the committee what attributes they think the ideal manager should have. The forums will be broadcast live on channel 13, the local cable access channel.

Rickenbach described the forums as “open brainstorming sessions” focusing on describing the ideal candidate. He said that the committee would revise the description based on feedback from the public.

Copies of the statement will be available from the clerk of Council, Deborah Benning, and on the Village’s Web site, www.yso.com.

The committee also will accept written comments on the statement through Friday, Aug. 26. Comments can be sent to Benning, dbenning@yso.com or 100 Dayton Street, or dropped off in the Village’s utility payment boxes at Bryan Community Center.

“We really want to hear from the public,” Rickenbach said.

The draft statement is largely based on a description of the ideal manager candidate originally created in 2000, when Hillard was hired a manager, Rickenbach said. That search was led by a paid professional consultant. The search committee, Rickenbach said, “tweaked as necessary” the description, which was included in a larger packet of documentation for the 2000 search.

The statement lists 11 attributes that are “sought in the ideal candidate.” From a professional standpoint, the statement says that the ideal candidate will have at least five years’ experience “in leading a comparable organization”; have a proven track record of staff development; and be willing to delegate management responsibility. It says the candidate will be a “strategic thinker with an eye for detail and a strong orientation toward customer service.”

The statement also addresses characteristics the ideal manager should embrace. For instance, it describes the candidate as someone with a “personal commitment to diversity and inclusion as a way of life, governance and managerial style”; strong professional values and ethics; and a willingness to work with the community and employees in a direct and collegial manner.

Rickenbach said the statement provides potential candidates information to measure themselves by and gives the community a “yard stick” by which to measure candidates.”

The candidate description will be part of a larger document that candidates will receive. The document will also include information on the history of Yellow Springs, a description of the village and a statement on the current issues and challenges facing the community.

Rickenbach said the search committee wants to deliver to Council for its approval at its Sept. 6 meeting that larger document and advertising information.

In addition to Rickenbach, the search committee includes Council member Mary J. Alexander; Kelley Fox, foreman of the Village electric and water distribution crews; Police Chief John Grote; Village Finance Director Sharon Potter; and villager Al Schlueter. The committee has added Len Kramer, a member of the Village Human Relations Commission, and Randall Newsome, a part-time police dispatcher, to its ranks.