Five finalists named for Urbandale city manager
Posted By Tom Barton On April 21, 2009 (10:04 pm) In Urbandale
Long tenures and extensive careers in city management stood out among finalists being considered as Urbandale’s next city manager.
Urbandale City Council members unanimously approved Tuesday night five finalists for their open city manager position.
The five finalists are: Jim Hurm, city administrator in Austin, Minn.; A.J. Johnson, Muscatine city manager; Timothy Zisoff, Indianola city manager; Cara Pavlicek, interim department manager with the Village of Oak Park, Ill.; and John Pick, city manager of Salisbury, Md.
“We are excited about the prospects for these candidates,” said Urbandale Mayor Robert Andeweg. “We couldn’t ask for a better pool and process in terms of quantity and quality. All have city manager experience and significant tenures that impressed me.”
All five candidates have careers in city management dating back at least 19 years. The most are Hurm and Zisoff, who have careers dating back to 1979. Pavlicek began her career with the City of Des Moines in 1990 as an administrative assistant in the city manager’s office until 1995.
Johnson has served as City Manager of Muscatine since 1989. Pick has served as city manager of Salisbury since 1995.
All, except for Pavlicek, come from cities smaller than Urbandale. The Village of Oak Park has a population of 52,000. Urbandale’s population is slightly more than 38,000.
Sixty-five people applied for the Urbandale job, and Slavin Management Consultants narrowed the list to 15. The council then cut the list to five after Slavin conducted background investigations and site visits.
Slavin was hired to find a replacement for former Urbandale City Manager Robert Layton, who left Urbandale at the end of January after 25 years in the position to take the same position in Wichita, Kan.
The five candidates are scheduled to travel to Urbandale on May 4, when they will be interviewed by the mayor and council, two city management teams and the Urbandale Citizen Advisory Committee, a group of 15 residents appointed by the City Council in January to provide input about the job description for a new city manager.
Interviews with the Citizen Advisory Committee will be the only public interviews. Those will begin at 11:15 a.m. and end at 5:30 p.m.
In addition, the finalists will tour Urbandale with chief city planner Steve Franklin. The day will end at the Urbandale Senior Center with a public “meet and greet” session from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
City officials said they hope to make a decision shortly thereafter. Andeweg said he hopes to have someone in the seat by June or July. The council is scheduled to meet for a regular meeting May 5, and could add the item to their agenda.
Resumes of the finalists will be posted on the city’s Web site at www.urbandale.org.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE FINALISTS?
Do you live in the communities where the finalists are from? How do you feel about their performance as city managers? Have they improved the community? How?
Leave your feedback here or e-mail me at tbarton@dmreg.com.
Article taken from Des Moines Register Staff Blogs - http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr
URL to article: http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2009/04/21/five-finalists-named-for-urbandale-city-manager/
Posted By Tom Barton On April 21, 2009 (10:04 pm) In Urbandale
Long tenures and extensive careers in city management stood out among finalists being considered as Urbandale’s next city manager.
Urbandale City Council members unanimously approved Tuesday night five finalists for their open city manager position.
The five finalists are: Jim Hurm, city administrator in Austin, Minn.; A.J. Johnson, Muscatine city manager; Timothy Zisoff, Indianola city manager; Cara Pavlicek, interim department manager with the Village of Oak Park, Ill.; and John Pick, city manager of Salisbury, Md.
“We are excited about the prospects for these candidates,” said Urbandale Mayor Robert Andeweg. “We couldn’t ask for a better pool and process in terms of quantity and quality. All have city manager experience and significant tenures that impressed me.”
All five candidates have careers in city management dating back at least 19 years. The most are Hurm and Zisoff, who have careers dating back to 1979. Pavlicek began her career with the City of Des Moines in 1990 as an administrative assistant in the city manager’s office until 1995.
Johnson has served as City Manager of Muscatine since 1989. Pick has served as city manager of Salisbury since 1995.
All, except for Pavlicek, come from cities smaller than Urbandale. The Village of Oak Park has a population of 52,000. Urbandale’s population is slightly more than 38,000.
Sixty-five people applied for the Urbandale job, and Slavin Management Consultants narrowed the list to 15. The council then cut the list to five after Slavin conducted background investigations and site visits.
Slavin was hired to find a replacement for former Urbandale City Manager Robert Layton, who left Urbandale at the end of January after 25 years in the position to take the same position in Wichita, Kan.
The five candidates are scheduled to travel to Urbandale on May 4, when they will be interviewed by the mayor and council, two city management teams and the Urbandale Citizen Advisory Committee, a group of 15 residents appointed by the City Council in January to provide input about the job description for a new city manager.
Interviews with the Citizen Advisory Committee will be the only public interviews. Those will begin at 11:15 a.m. and end at 5:30 p.m.
In addition, the finalists will tour Urbandale with chief city planner Steve Franklin. The day will end at the Urbandale Senior Center with a public “meet and greet” session from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
City officials said they hope to make a decision shortly thereafter. Andeweg said he hopes to have someone in the seat by June or July. The council is scheduled to meet for a regular meeting May 5, and could add the item to their agenda.
Resumes of the finalists will be posted on the city’s Web site at www.urbandale.org.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE FINALISTS?
Do you live in the communities where the finalists are from? How do you feel about their performance as city managers? Have they improved the community? How?
Leave your feedback here or e-mail me at tbarton@dmreg.com.
Article taken from Des Moines Register Staff Blogs - http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr
URL to article: http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2009/04/21/five-finalists-named-for-urbandale-city-manager/
29 comments:
I hope Prick gets it. Good Riddance! JIm Ireton would be better off.
SURPRISE! NOT
Hey Chiefy:
Are you listening
From the looks of it I'd rather live in Urbandale than Salisbury.
please give Pick a good reference so they will take our headache away.
Note to Mayor Ireton:
We voted for change and we expect you to do your job to the best of your ability. Part or that change is to reorganize some of the departments and based on the hundreds of comments and corruption we the tax pay has seen involves the administration of the city, the police department and the fire department.
Change needed involves:
John Pick, Lore Chambers, Alan Webster, David B. See, William Gordy, and Richard A. Hoppes. These names have been aligned with wasted spending and corruption on a daily basis. Please eliminate or reassign these positions as needed. I am sure you wouldn't have to look far or go outside the agencies to find a good replacement. The problem can be resolved by looking for a good person from within. That person from within would be very knowledgeable about the problems in the department and can work with you to resolve the issues. Please do your job for the betterment of the city. If anyone else has any ideas please let us all know.
but that leaves us with Chambers. Please NO Lore.
Well, well, well. So now we know he's been looking.
But no surprise really. That's why they've been pushing Lore Chambers. She is salivating to step in. For Salisbury, that's a fate worse than Pick.
Jim Ireton better get his ducks in a row fast.
Hummmmm, I wonder who John listed as references? I would guess the former Mare, maybe the police chief, and probably someone like Matt Creamer. or he would have listed people such as Janet Dudley-Eschbach (sp), Norm Conway, and Judge Alfred Truitt. Who knows.
I also wonder when and under what circumstances that the search committee people made their "site visit"? Boy, I hope for John's sake that they didn't visit sbynews.com during the past year or two - poor ole John won't stand a chance if they discover that.
Violent Crime
Salisbury 7
Urbandale 2
National Average 3
Property Crime
Salisbury 7
Urbandale 3
National Average 3
The crime indices range 1-10. A higher number corresponds with more crime. Crime rates are based on FBI data.
Good luck John! Maybe not the place to bring this up but has anyone seen the amount of trash coming from the new drain on Waverly Drive. I pass by this daily and could not believe my
eyes, absolutely filty just as Debbie Campbell predicted.
I emailed these people and told them what a great job John does with the city's business. Although we elect a mayor it is John Pick that runs the city's daily business. Give the man credit where it is due. Give the man a good recommendation. He at least deserves that much for his years of service here in Salisbury.
Only slightly off topic:
Anyone see that hypocrite Muir Boda's letter to the editor today? The same Boda who is friends with the nastiest spewer of hate in this city?
Don't worry, Boda. Good people will continue "standing up" in Salisbury. Nice of you to steal that "standing up" from Debbie Campbell, the one who's stood up the most for this city against what you and your puppet masters represent.
This could be good news for Mayor Ireton in light of the Council being stacked (3-2) against him. They would have never have approved canning Mr. Pick.
Thanks & lol to Urbandale.
I actually think Pick has done a decent job under the circumstances: it could not have been easy working under Tighlman!
If her gets the City Manager job there, he sure won't be in Salisbury anymore -- their Charter states as follows:
21.04 POWERS AND DUTIES. The City Manager is the chief administrative
officer of the City and is responsible to the Council for the administration of all City
affairs placed in the City Manager’s charge by or under the Code of Iowa, this Code of
Ordinances or the Council. The City Manager has the following powers and duties:
1. To employ, reclassify and suspend or remove all department heads and
employees, subject to civil service provisions (Chapter 400 of the Code of Iowa), the Veteran’s Preference Law (Chapter 35C of the Code of Iowa), or as otherwise provided for by the Code of Iowa or this Code of Ordinances, and
subject to Council approval, fix the compensation to be paid such employees. The City Manager may authorize any administrative officer who is subject to
the Manager’s supervision to employ, reclassify or suspend or remove subordinates in that officer’s department, office or agency.
2. To see that all ordinances, resolutions, contracts, Mayor or Council directives, or laws of the State which are subject to enforcement by the Manager or officers subject to the Manager’s direction and supervision are
faithfully executed.
3. To attend all meetings of the Council, unless excused by a majority of the Council. The City Manager shall have the right to participate in the meetings but shall not have the right to vote.
4. To keep the Mayor and Council fully advised as to the financial
conditions and future needs of the City and to make such recommendations to the Mayor and Council concerning the affairs of the City as the Manager may
deem necessary.
5. To direct and supervise the administration of all departments, offices and agencies of the City, except as otherwise provided in this Code of Ordinances or the Code of Iowa.
6. To cooperate with any administrative agency or utility board of trustees.
7. To prepare and submit to the Mayor and Council the annual budget and capital program.
8. To conduct the business affairs of the City, including financial and personnel affairs, by modern and efficient methods and to cause accurate records to be maintained.
9. To make such other reports as the Mayor and Council may require
concerning City affairs under the Manager’s direction and supervision.
10. To submit to the Mayor and Council, and make available to the public, a complete report on the finances and administrative activities of the City at
the end of the fiscal year.
11. To perform such other duties as the Mayor and Council may request or delegate.
12. To appoint the Chief of Police.
13. To appoint the Fire Chief.
Not surprising at all. John came here having been promised that a conversion to a city manager form of govt. was going to happen after Martin retired. That didn't happen. John and his family are wonderful people who care about Salisbury. Good luck to him.
3:32-
And guess who blocked the change to the city manager form -- the one and only Barrie P. Tilghman!
So why didn't Pick leave back then, or has he had trouble finding a sweeter spot than Salisbarrie?
John Pick has people so fooled. He has been nothing more than a lapdog for Barrie for years. I guess people will do anything for money. There is a word for that - JOHN! Salisbury needs a fresh start and I sincerely hope you leave.
We won't be so lucky to get rid of two rotten eggs that fast.
Best wishes to John and his family in whatever they do. I think his hands were tired for a long time....Let the house cleaning begin!!!
John Prick, don't let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya!
anon 1:45 the waverly storm drain is not tied into any substantial stormwater flow at this point.. not even close.. the mess in the river is just the exact same mess that's always been there - good looking out though
Give it some time, they will be dropping like flies. Might be a good time to look into a city job.
City is in great need of a new attorney, police chief, and finance minister. What's up out there at the WWTP? What happened to the consultant? The results? Maybe we need new public works people too.
John was a decent man when he came to Salisbury but the years of the last admistration have worn that away. He can no longer be effective now as he is damaged goods.Maybe The change will do him and Salisbury Good.
I have heard Mayor Ireton, yes City of Salisbury, its time to update your website, say that he was looking forward to working with John Pick. I believe if you ask Mrs. Campbell and Mrs. Cohen each would state that Mr. Pick truly cared about our community.
Annon:12:45 I truly believe that Jesus wouldn't be good enough for you. Lets just fire everyone, including you if you are a city employee.
I believe John Pick is a good man and I wish him well.
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