Document text
3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW 'Anti-Muslim' rally turns out to be pro-police ... Guest Opinion: Overcoming evil with good ... Guest Opinion: We know what to do to prevent mass shootings ... 'Anti-Muslim' rally turns out to be pro-police ... Guest Opinion: Overcoming evil with good ... Guest Opinion: We know what to do to prevent mass shootings ... MEDFORD CITY MANAGER SEARCH Medford councilors look for leader with courage but who won't control them Comment By Damian Mann Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Posted Oct. 8, 2015 at 12:19 PM Updated Oct 9, 2015 at 5:44 PM By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Posted Oct. 8, 2015 at 12:19 PM Updated Oct 9, 2015 at 5:44 PM » Social News Medford city councilors say they seek a new city manager who is courageous, has a sense of humility and is a leader who won’t try to control them. Councilors recently debated what qualities they want in a city manager before they select one of six head-hunting agencies that will be used to find a crop of good candidates. The City Council fired former City Manager Eric Swanson on June 4, and his memory was on the minds of councilors as they fashioned their wish list for his replacement at a recent study session. “One of the things that got Eric fired is that he’s leading the council,” Councilor Daniel Bunn said. “How much of a leader do we want?” “We don’t want somebody that’s too passive,” Mayor Gary Wheeler said. Councilor Dick Gordon, who led the charge to fire Swanson, said he’d prefer to have a city manager with a collaborative leadership style that doesn’t emphasize a top-down approach. In addition, he said, “I want someone with really good speaking skills.” Councilor Kevin Stine said he wants a city manager who is hungry for the work. “I want someone who is not here for a few years to be on the retirement tour,” he said. He said he wanted someone who would give department heads more autonomy. Ultimately, Stine said it’s difficult to find the right candidate, no matter how carefully the selection process is. “It’s a crapshoot,” he said. Councilor Tim Jackle said he’d prefer to have a city manager with deep knowledge of the state’s unusual land-use laws. “It could be a disaster to have an out-of-state city manager,” he said. Councilor Clay Bearnson said, “If I had my druthers, I would have an Oregonian.” The city received proposals from six agencies from as far away as Ohio. Councilors will interview the agencies and select one over the next couple of months. Three of the agencies didn’t submit their bids in a separate sealed envelope as required. Councilor Chris Corcoran said he wanted to reject those candidates who didn’t follow instructions. But a majority of the council decided to consider all six agencies to have a better choice. Councilors listed qualities they want in a new city manager: vision, courage, integrity, humility and ability to cooperate with others. Corcoran said he wanted to push for more background investigation of candidates, including sending a contingent to a candidate’s hometown to find out more about him or her. “If we’d investigated in Roseburg, we would have found something,” Corcoran said. Swanson was city manager in Roseburg before getting the job in Medford. Corcoran said the council needs to be clearer about what qualities it wants or risk having another city manager who doesn’t measure up. “There was too much gray area with Eric, and that was part of the problem,” he said. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 541-776-4476 or [email protected] . Follow on Twitter at @reporterdm . By Damian Mann Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Posted Oct. 8, 2015 at 12:19 PM Updated Oct 9, 2015 at 5:44 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501