Franklin’s next town manager will be selected with the help of Developmental Associates, LLC after a unanimous decision from the Town Council made April 28.
In a special called meeting of the board meant to set a clear course for replacing outgoing town manager Summer Woodard, the main point of discussion was whether to enlist a consulting firm, which would oversee applications for the position and cull the list of candidates to help the board make their final decision. Consultants are known to be extremely intensive in evaluating potential employees, both for their professional qualifications and their mental capacity to handle the stresses of a position. Mayor Bob Scott thinks spending thousands of dollars to hire a firm is unnecessary. He said the town would be better served by working with the League of Municipalities and regional university administrative programs to find someone highly qualified who’s already nearby.
“Are we shutting out some very, very good candidates who are already familiar with Western North Carolina and may be in government already in Western North Carolina?” Scott said. “I feel it’s very, very important that we see if there’s someone local.”
However, the council members saw things differently. The town manager job is a massive responsibility that affects thousands of people and millions of dollars in tax money. Vice Mayor Jack Horton thinks hiring a consulting firm with a good reputation that can help bring in the best possible candidate would be a good investment that reduces risk for the town further down the road.
“The worst thing that you can do is hire somebody who’s not qualified for the position,” Horton said. “That’s a formula for disaster right there.”
Council member David Culpepper also spoke in support of hiring a firm because of the support they could offer. While the Town Council will have final say on who gets the job and can ignore the suggestions of a firm if they see fit, the board has lots of other issues to attend to, and a firm could be much more thorough in their evaluations of each applicant. Culpepper feels that explaining their needs to a firm and letting them do their job is the most efficient way to hire the next town manager.
“We can advise them to look at local candidates as well,” Culpepper said. “I wouldn’t want to exclude anybody, either. I’d like a pot full of people so that the cream will eventually rise to the top.”
The council members voted 5-0 to accept a $17,400 proposal from Developmental Associates, LLC, based in Chapel Hill. The mayor remains unconvinced that it will be money well spent.
“The Town Council just threw away $17,000,” Scott said following the meeting.
During the council’s regular monthly meeting on May 3, the mayor and council members met via Zoom with Dr. Steve Straus, president and co-founder of Developmental Associates, to review the proposal and the search process.
During the next 10 days, council members will share with Straus their hopes and expectations for the position. The firm will then spend 30 days recruiting candidates. After the recruiting period, representatives from the firm will meet with the council in closed session to review the applications and reduce the number of candidates. Following two weeks of interviews the list of candidates will then be narrowed to five. After Developmental Associates conducts “emotional intelligence gathering” on the final candidates, the council will make an offer to the person they feel most qualified and suited for the position.