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A~ses~ prhnary challenges and oppm~mides <br />for your new civ/manager. Are they to: <br /> <br />· Balance the budget? <br /> <br />· Manage growth? <br /> <br />· Improve services? <br /> <br />· Resolve cotnmunity disputes? <br /> <br />· Redevelop'the downtown? or <br /> ·Resoive internal organizational problems? <br /> Similarly, assess your city's needs. Are you <br /> looking for: <br /> <br /> · An ambassador/ombudsman to person- <br /> if7 the city in public? <br /> <br /> · A field marshal to galvanize city <br /> employees toward service goals? <br /> <br /> · A master planner with vision and tech- <br /> nical skills to oversee deveiopment? <br /> <br />· A financial wizard to solve a structural <br /> budget crisis and untangle account- <br /> ing knots? <br /> <br />· An economic deve[opmenrJredeve[op- <br /> ment ~ru to replace blight and <br /> s(ums with exciting new retail stores <br /> and housing? <br /> <br />· An operations manager to reorganize <br /> your staff and streamline processes for <br /> effectiveness and efficiency? or <br /> <br />· A "status quo" manager to keep things <br /> moving forward while avoiding contro- <br /> versy and conflict? <br /> <br />Most importandy, you need to £aifly assess <br />your city's strengths and challenges in <br />'attracting top candidates. Ask yourselfi <br /> <br />. Does 7our cir7 have a reputation for <br /> political stability? <br /> <br />· Does your community have a history <br />of dealing fairly with city managers? <br /> <br />· What were the tenures of previous <br /> city managers? <br /> <br />· How strong is your Financial base? <br /> <br />· What is the state of your orgxnizational' <br /> health and labor relations? <br /> <br />· Is your city a good place to live and <br /> raise a family? <br /> <br />If your city has been going through a <br />volatile political period, you might con- <br />sider hiring an interim city manager until! <br />things calm down. This may improve your: <br />chances of attracting a top candidate later. <br /> <br />It's a Tight Market <br /> <br />A second major point in searching for <br />your city manager is to understand that <br />At ts a very fight market for relent. City <br /> <br />managers are part of'an aging workforce, <br />which is also reflective of the cotmcils <br />they serve. Several decades of government <br />bashing have demeaned public sector <br />work for man7. There is a huge cadre of <br />55- to 60-year-old managers who are <br />retiring because they can. The next gen- <br />eration has not had as much tenure, and <br />there are few Generation X managers in <br />the pipeline. The pool of candidates is <br />shrinking as fewer assistant city managers <br />wish to move up. Many are choosing to <br />avoid r. he stress and exposure that comes <br />with filling the rote of city manager. <br /> <br />So if you are looking for a manager with <br />lor~ of experience, expect ro recruit man- <br />agers ar the tail end of their careers. Youn- <br />ger people are less likely to taler the risks <br />of city management. Many won't apply. <br />Recruiters agree that the gap is worse <br />than it looks. We suggest that you make <br /> <br /> contiaued <br /> <br />-58- <br /> <br /> <br />