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Although it appears to be uncommon for commissions in other cities to interview <br />applicants for commission vacancies, that has been the practice in Ramsey and current <br />commissioners are overwhelmingly in favor of continuing it. Commissioners say they <br />are most familiar with the requirements of the positions and they want to know that the <br />person selected will be able to work effectively with other commissioners. Some of them <br />are also concerned that too much council involvement will make the appointments more <br />political, i.e., people will be appointed on the basis of political connections rather than on <br />their potential contributions to a commission. Several people did think the Council <br />should have more knowledge about who they are appointing, either through second <br />interviews or written summaries of candidate qualifications and reasons for being <br />recommended. <br /> <br />Most commissioners expect little or no involvement from Human Resources staff other <br />than accepting, screening, and forwarding applications and arranging interview times. <br /> <br />The Councilmembers' primary concern about the interviewing process as it has existed, is <br />that there has been no involvement of staff trained in interviewing procedures. As a <br />result of feedback from some recent commission applicants, Councilmembers want to <br />ensure that the interview process is conducted consistently among all commissions so it is <br />legal, fair, and respectful. In particular, Councilmembers would like staff to provide <br />commissioners with some guidance and/or training in conducting interviews, help prepare <br />questions, and be present during interviews. <br /> <br />Recommendation: <br /> <br />There is a need to balance the desires of the commissions and the concerns of the City <br />Council. Commissions should continue to interview applicants, but the Administrative <br />Services Manager should work with commission chairs to develop an interview process <br />that is consistent among all commissions. Future recommendations to the Council should <br />include an explanation of why the candidate is being recommended and a summary of his <br />or her qualifications. The Administrative Services Manager should include the <br />explanation in the letter sent to applicants who are not selected. <br /> <br />Qualifications of Commis.$ioners <br /> <br />Councilmembers and commission members were in agreement that prior experience in <br />municipal affairs is less important for potential commissioners than qualities such as <br />interest in the City and the work of the specific conm~ission, knowledge of community <br />desires, willingness to listen to others, ability to communicate clearly and concisely, <br />common sense, long-range vision, time for meetings and related duties, ability to analyze <br />alternatives, and ability to work cooperatively with others. Councilmembers are <br />especially interested in having diverse interests represented on commissions. Both <br /> <br /> <br />