If you could change something – anything, to make Roanoke a better place to live, what would that be? Or, what do you see as the negatives about living in Roanoke? Are there issues in the government you want the next city manager to address? Darlene Burcham chose to retire as Roanoke city manager early next year after City Council indicated to her that it was time for a change.
As part of the search process for the new city manager, these were two of several questions posed at public meetings recently in City Council Chambers by Colin Baenziger. His Florida-based company was hired to lead the search. Councilman Rupert Cutler had forwarded questions from the public to Baenziger.
While turnout at some of the public meetings was on the low side last week, there was no shortage of audience participation and many of the responses were echoed from one meeting to the next. There was a prevailing sentiment among some participants that more should be done on a regional basis to save money. Roanoke should be spotlighted as a place to come for outdoor amenities, said citizens, by including it in tourism promotions for the Appalachian Trail and the Blue Ridge Parkway.
An employee for the Virginia Workforce Development Center said that green initiatives should be a priority. Some cited a lack of transportation choices to and from certain areas in the valley as a drawback. “Too much outsourcing of jobs” and a need for “improved economic development” were also mentioned as areas for needed focus.
“Keep downtown the focus of Roanoke. That’s a challenge for any community. Having a good solid business focus for downtown is good for the community,” urged a speaker. Improvement in some residential sectors of the city was cited; the Raleigh Court area was mentioned as an example of a desirable and attractive neighborhood.
Councilman David Trinkle said that there have been some “great comments” provided and that “this is just the beginning – there will be more than adequate opportunities to comment.” Cutler said that he thought the meetings “went very well.” Anyone with additional ideas can communicate at [email protected], and on the blog www.roanokecitycouncilforum.blogspot.com/
The input provided will be used by Colin Baenziger & Associates to assist in compiling a recruitment profile in the search for Roanoke’s new city manager. Located in Wellington, Florida, one of the company’s specialties is municipal government executive recruiting. Baenziger recently completed searches for city managers in Greensboro, North Carolina and Brevard County, Florida.
Selection Process Schedule: Baenziger will be putting together recruitment material that will be presented to Roanoke City Council. A recruitment profile will also be posted on his company’s web site (read by professional managers), submitted to publications and emailed to thousands of local government professionals. “Our goal is to create a buzz about Roanoke,” said Baenziger. “We want to get people excited … and get them talking with friends about Roanoke.” That process will take about a month.
It is anticipated by Baenziger that 70 to 100 applications will be received and then narrowed down to 15-20 semifinalists. The next step will be to “talk with the applicants and see if they know what they are doing.” The pool will then be reduced to a dozen or fewer; at that point, his company will get extensive lists of references for those candidates and do some background checks.
Baenziger said he will typically get down to eight candidates and then present those names to City Council, which will pick five finalists to interview. If the candidates are willing, there will be another meeting that affords the public an opportunity to ask questions.
While public input is important, the decision ultimately lies with Roanoke City Council members. “If the chemistry is all wrong between the council and a manager, it doesn’t matter whether the public or anyone else likes them. That manager will not be successful,” said Baenziger.
The interviews should be finished by mid-December and a decision made shortly thereafter. Contract negotiations will be completed and the new city manager would probably start in February. That schedule would give the selected candidate time to give his or her current employer notice, make transition to the new position and spend some time with Burcham prior to her retirement on March 1.
By Susan Ayers [email protected]