Sebastopol City Council
October 13, 2025

CITY COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA

SPECIAL MEETING
Meeting of Monday – October 13, 2025
As Approved by the City Council at their regular meeting of October 21, 2025 CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Zollman called the meeting to order 10:00 am ROLL CALL:

Present: Mayor Stephen Zollman
Vice Mayor McLewis Zoom – ADA Accommodation
Councilmember Sandra Maurer
Councilmember Phill Carter

Absent: Councilmember Hinton
Staff: Human Resources Consultant Deborah Muchmore
Kerrie McNally, Personnel Attorney
Interim City Manager Mary Gourley
Vice Mayor McLewis replied she was attending by zoom via medical accommodation.

REMOTE PARTICIPATION UNDER AB 2449 (IF NEEDED): To consider and take action on any request from a Council Member to participate in a meeting remotely due to Just Cause or Emergency Circumstances pursuant to AB 2449 (Government Code Section 549539(f)). Assembly Bill 2302 (2024) (“AB 2302”) revises rules for when members of local legislative bodies may participate in meetings remotely. Specifically, it amends the number of meetings that may be attended remotely for just cause and under emergency circumstances and clarifies the definition of the term “meeting,” for purposes of remote attendance. AB 2302 caps the number of remote meetings a member can attend each year based on the frequency of a legislative body’s meetings: Five meetings per year for those meeting twice a month.

None Required.

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: The City of Sebastopol acknowledges that we live and work within the unceded ancestral homelands of the Southern Pomo and the Coast Miwok people. We pay our respect to the past, present, and future generations of these peoples, including the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria.

STATEMENTS OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST: Conflicts of interest may arise in situations where a public official deliberating towards a decision, has an actual or potential financial interest in the matter before the Council. In accordance with state law, an actual conflict of interest is one that would be to the private financial benefit of a public official, a relative or a business with which the Councilmember is associated. A potential conflict of interest is one that could be to the private financial benefit of a Councilmember, a relative or a business with which the Councilmember is associated. A Councilmember must publicly announce potential and actual conflicts of interest, and, in the case of actual conflict of interest, must refrain from participating in debate on the issue or from voting on the issue and must remove themselves from the dais.

There were no statements of conflict of interested announced.

RECRUITING FIRM INTERVIEWS:

1. Information on Process of Meeting: Personnel Attorney Kerrie McNally and Deborah Muchmore, City Council Meeting Packet of: October 21, 2025

Human Resources Consultant, provide the process for the meeting.

City Council Action: None Required. Information received.

Reference Order Number: 2025-317

2. Interviews with Proposers for Recruitment Services for City Manager Recruitment Interviews were conducted with the following firms, beginning at 10:00 a.m.:

The Council conducted the following interviews:
• CPS HR Consulting
• WBCP
City Council Action: Council conducted two interviews.

Reference Order Number: 2025-318

3. Discussion and Consideration of Selection of Recruiting Firm Based on Interviews Conducted. If a firm is selected, Award of Contract will be at the November 4, 2025 City Council Meeting.

Responsible Department: Human Resources Consultant
Fiscal Impact: None; Funding has been budgeted in the amount of $35,000 for recruitment services Kerrie McNally, personnel attorney, presented the agenda item recommending the City Council discuss and consider selection of a recruiting firm based upon interviews conducted.

The City Council asked questions of staff and provided initial comments.

Mayor Zollman opened for public comment. There was none.

City Council Discussion/Deliberations/Direction:

The Council provided additional comments.

Mayor Zollman called for a motion.

MOTION:

Councilmember Maurer moved and Mayor Zollman seconded the motion to select WBCP for recruitment services.

Discussion:

The Council discussed amendments.

Councilmember Maurer amended the motion and Mayor Zollman seconded the amended motion to select WBCP for recruitment services with the following amendments:

Wendy Brown shall mentor and supervisor the firm’s recruiter for this recruitment Directed Kerrie McNally and Deborah Muchmore to negotiate the contract with firm Mayor Zollman called for a roll call vote. City staff conducted a roll call vote.

VOTE:

Ayes: Councilmembers Carter, Maurer, and Mayor Zollman
Noes: Vice Mayor McLewis
City Council Meeting Packet of: October 21, 2025

Absent: Councilmember Hinton
Abstain: None
City Council Action: Selected WBCP for recruitment services with the following amendments:

Wendy Brown shall mentor and supervisor the firm’s recruiter for this recruitment Directed Kerrie McNally and Deborah Muchmore to negotiate the contract with firm Minute Order Number: 2025-319

ADJOURNMENT OF CITY COUNCIL SPECIALMEETING
October 13, 2025 City Council Special Meeting will be adjourned to the next Regular City Council Meeting of Tuesday, October 21, 2025 at 6:00 pm, Sebastopol Youth Annex, 425 Morris Street, Sebastopol, CA.

Mayor Zollman adjourned the Special City Council Meeting of October 13, 2025 at 1:25 to the next Regular City Council Meeting of Tuesday, October 21, 2025 at 6:00 pm, Sebastopol Youth Annex, 425 Morris Street, Sebastopol.

Respectfully submitted,
Mary C. Gourley
Interim City Manager/City Clerk
Attachment: Zoom Transcript
City Council Meeting Packet of: October 21, 2025

Special City Council Meeting - October 13, 2025
I WILL GO AHEAD AND CALLED THE MEETING TO ORDER.

COUNCILMEMBER CARTER? HEAR.

COUNCILMEMBER MAURER? HEAR.

VICE MAYOR McLEWIS?
HERE.

MAYOR ZOLLMAN ? HEAR.

COUNCILMEMBER HINTON WILL NOT BE ATTENDING TODAY.

I AM ATTENDING THIS MEETING UNDER MEDICAL ACCOMMODATION. I DO NOT HAVE ANYONE IN THE ROOM WITH ME.

THANK YOU.

I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.

THE CITY OF SEBASTOPOL ACKNOWLEDGES THAT WE LIVE AND WORK WITHIN THE UNCEDED ANCESTRAL HOMELANDS OF THE SOUTHERN POMO AND THE COAST MIWOK PEOPLE. WE PAY OUR RESPECT TO THE PAST,

PRESENT, AND FUTURE GENERATIONS OF THESE PEOPLES, INCLUDING THE FEDERATED INDIANS OF GRATON RANCHERIA. INVOLVING CONFLICTS OF INTEREST, I HAVE NONE. ANYONE? I WILL TURN IT OVER TO KERRIE.

WE HAVE TWO POTENTIAL RECRUITMENT FIRMS HERE TO BE INTERVIEWED FOR CONSIDERATION FOR SELECTION OF THE CITY MANAGER POSITION. THE IDEAL WOULD BE FOR EACH OF THEM TO COME IN INDIVIDUALLY AND GIVE A 5 TO 10 MINUTE PRESENTATION, FOLLOWED BY QUESTIONS TO BE ASKED BY THE COUNCILMEMBERS. THEN THERE WOULD BE A DISCUSSION BY THE COUNCILMEMBERS ABOUT THE PRESENTATION AND QUESTIONS THAT WERE PROVIDED. WE WILL THEN OPEN IT UP TO ANY PUBLIC COMMENT, WHICH WILL BE BETWEEN NOW AND THEN. AFTER WE DO BOTH OF THEM, WE WILL HAVE TIME TO DELIBERATE AND DISCUSS WHETHER OR NOT YOU'RE COMFORTABLE WITH MAKING A SELECTION. ANOTHER OPTION WOULD BE TO HAVE THOSE WERE NOT BROUGHT IN TODAY TO HAVE ANOTHER MEETING TO SPEAK WITH THEM. OR WE CAN OPEN IT UP AGAIN FOR ANOTHER RESPONSE TO THE RFP.

WERE THERE OTHERS WHO APPLIED?
THERE WERE FIVE APPLICANTS. WE DECIDED TWO OF THEM DID NOT RESPOND TO THE RFP. THEY DID NOT PROVIDE THE INFORMATION THAT WAS REQUESTED. WE MADE INTERVIEW TIMES AVAILABLE TO THREE. ONE WAS NOT ABLE TO JOIN IN PERSON TODAY. WE WOULD HAVE EACH OF YOU ASK A QUESTION GOING THROUGH THE LIST THAT IS PROVIDED. IN ORDER TO MAKE IT FAIR TO BOTH PARTIES, WE DON'T WANT TO DEVIATE FROM THE QUESTIONS THAT ARE THERE. IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WANT TO MODIFY, WE WILL HAVE THAT CONVERSATION BEFORE WE BRING THEM IN.

WHAT ABOUT QUESTIONS THAT COME FROM QUESTIONS, THINGS THAT POP UP THAT NEED CLARIFICATION? ARE YOU SAYING WE CANNOT DO THAT?

I AM NOT GOING TO MAKE THAT DECISION FOR YOU ALL, THE INTENTION IS THAT IT BE FAIR FOR ALL INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE PARTICIPATING. OUTSIDE OF SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT OF WHAT YOU MEAN BY THAT, I WOULD NOT GO BEYOND WHAT IS IN THE LIST OF QUESTIONS. THAT IS CERTAINLY SOMETHING THAT THE COUNCIL CAN DECIDE.

I LOVE THE FACT THAT YOU SENT OUT THE QUESTIONS EARLY WITH A DEADLINE TO RESPOND BACK IF WE HAD ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS. YOU TOLD THESE APPLICANTS THAT THIS PROCESS FOR EACH OF THEM WITH LAST APPROXIMATELY AN HOUR. SO TO GET THROUGH 22 OF US, YEAH, I THINK THAT IS PRETTY MUCH ALL THE TIME WE ARE GOING TO HAVE. THAT IS MY FEELING.

City Council Meeting Packet of: October 21, 2025

WORKING THROUGH THE AGENDA, IT SAYS THE PRESENTATIONS ARE 5 TO 10 MINUTES AND THE INTERVIEWS ARE 20 TO 25 THAT MEANS 35 PER PERSON AND THEN 15 TO DISCUSS. IS THAT CORRECT? THE DISCUSSION WOULD NOT BE HAVING THEM PRESENT.

SO WE HAVE 45 MINUTES WITH THEM IN THE ROOM.

35. IT IS 5 TO 10 FOR THEIR PRESENTATION AND 20 TO 25 WITH QUESTIONS.

THERE WILL BE VERY LITTLE TIME TO PAUSE. THE TIME FOR QUESTIONS IS PROBABLY A MINUTE TO A MINUTE AND A QUARTER PER QUESTION.

AND YOU'RE GOING TO BE KEEPING TIME? BECAUSE I'M GOING TO BE LOOKING AT YOU. WE WANT TO ACCORD EACH OF THE FIRMS THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME PRESENT IN THE ROOM WITH US. IS THAT CORRECT? YES.

THE DIFFERENCE IS WE HAVE TWO FIRMS INSTEAD OF THREE, BASED ON THE ORIGINAL SCHEDULE. AS A COUNCIL, YOU COULD DECIDE TO ALLOW MORE TIME.

ONE ADDITIONAL QUESTION, IT SAYS PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD. WE ARE RECORDING. DOES THAT MEAN THE

PUBLIC IS --
THE PUBLIC COMMENT WOULD BE IF ANYONE IS IN PERSON FOR THIS MEETING. THERE WAS NO ONE HERE FROM THE PUBLIC.

CAN I ASK A QUESTION?
WHAT IS THAT?
I ABSOLUTELY THINK WE NEED TO HAVE A STREAMLINED PROCESS. IT SEEMS WITH 22 QUESTIONS AND ONLY 20 TO 25 MINUTES, IT DOESN'T SEEM REASONABLE TO ME. IT SEEMS VERY RUSHED. I WANT TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE TIME TO GET ANSWERS FROM THESE FOLKS. OTHERWISE WE ARE GOING THROUGH SEMANTICS. IF WE RUSH THEM THROUGH EVERY QUESTION THAT THEY HAVE. THAT WE FIND A BALANCE WITH THAT? I AGREE THAT WE NEED TO HAVE A STREAMLINED PROCESS. WHEN YOU ARE INTERVIEWING PEOPLE, IT IS RARELY AS CLEAN-CUT AS WHAT WE HAVE SET OUT HERE FROM THE VERY BEGINNING.

THERE IS NOTHING THAT SAYS WE CAN'T EXTEND THIS. THE COUNCIL HAS THE APPROVAL TO SAY WE WANT TO TAKE MORE TIME. I DO KNOW WE HAVE A HARD STOP AT AT LEAST 1:55 FOR ANOTHER MEETING. YOU HAVE ABOUT FOUR HOURS. AS LONG AS WE ARE FAIR WITH BOTH APPLICANTS AND YOU WILL GIVE THEM THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME, YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND DO THAT IF THE COUNCIL IS IN AGREEMENT TO DO THAT.

I AM SENSING THAT WE DO WANT TO EXTEND.

I DO WANT TO EXTEND A LITTLE BIT, BUT I ALSO DID NOT BRING A LUNCH. I AM NOT COMFORTABLE GOING FOUR HOURS.

WE CAN DO THAT. WE CAN SCHEDULE TO BRING SOMETHING IN.

WE JUST WANT TO SAY THEN THAT IF -- BECAUSE THEY HAD BEEN TOLD 5 TO 10 MINUTES FOR A PRESENTATION. I DON'T ANTICIPATE THAT THEIR PRESENTATIONS WILL GO LONGER THAN 10 MINUTES. IF THEN WE SET FOR THE INTERVIEWS, IF WE SAID 35 MINUTES OR 40 MINUTES IF YOU WANTED, THAT WOULD BE A TOTAL OF 50 MINUTES OF HEARING FROM THEM. OBVIOUSLY, IF THEY FINISH FASTER THAN THE 35 TO 40 MINUTES, THEN THEY FINISH EARLY. IF THEY USE ALL 40 MINUTES, THAT IS GREAT FOR THEM.

CHECKING IN WITH EVERYONE, THE PROPOSAL KERRIE LAID OUT , WE WILL START WITH THAT.

I WOULD PROBABLY REDUCE IT TO 30 MINUTES. MAYBE WHAT WE CAN DO WITH THE FIRST INTERVIEWER IS AIM FOR 30. IF IT TAKES LONGER, WE CAN GIVE THE SECOND INTERVIEW THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME.

IN THE INTEREST OF FAIRNESS.

IF THEY FINISH EARLY, BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE ANYTHING ELSE TO OFFER ON IT, AT LEAST WE SET A CAP.

THEN THE NEXT PERSON DOESN'T HAVE MORE TIME THAN THE CAP.

IT IS THE EQUITY OF THEM HAVING THE SAME FACETIME WITH US. I THINK THAT IS IMPORTANT.

THEY COULD BE CONCISE AND CLEAR AND GOT THEIR MESSAGE ACROSS.

GOT IT.

SO IF HE SET UP TO 40 MINUTES WITH EACH OF THEM, IF PEOPLE FINISH EARLY, THEN THEY FINISH EARLY? THEN WE SET THAT EXPECTATION.

City Council Meeting Packet of: October 21, 2025

THE SECOND GROUP OF PEOPLE WILL BE HERE EARLY. THAT IS OKAY. WE CAN BRING THEM IN WHEN YOU ARE READY.

AS FAR AS THE QUESTIONS, WE WILL GO STARTING HERE AND THEN AROUND THE TABLE. IS THAT OKAY? YEAH.

AND THEN TIME CHECK. WHAT TIME ARE YOU GIVING A TIME CHECK? I WILL DO THEIR 10 MINUTES, FIRST OF ALL. THEN I WILL DO IT EVERY 10 MINUTES.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS BEFORE WE BRING ONE OF THEM INTO THE ROOM? OKAY. JILL, OKAY? ALL RIGHT.

ARE YOU OKAY? ARE YOU CLEAR?
WE ARE GOOD.

HOW ABOUT WE LET THEM OUT?
WHILE YOU ARE DOING THE FIRST INTERVIEW, WE WILL TAKE THAT STEP. WE MIGHT HAVE THREE HERE. WE EACH HAVE THREE. WE WILL GET TO THE NEXT SET. OKAY.

COULD YOU REMIND US?
THE FIRST ONE IS CPS.

COME RIGHT IN. HELLO.

WE HAVE PAMELA DERBY AND FATIMA NUKIC FROM CPS HR CONSULTING. YOU GUYS CAN SIT ANYWHERE AROUND THE TABLE.

CAN YOU GO DOWN TO THE OTHER TWO CHAIRS?
WELCOME. I WILL TURN IT OVER TO THE FACILITATORS THIS MORNING.

GOOD MORNING. I AM KERRIE McNALLY. WE WILL BE FACILITATING THIS THIS MORNING. THE FIRST THING THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU IS JUST A SHORT 5 TO 10 MINUTE PRESENTATION ABOUT YOUR FIRM AND WHY IT IS THAT YOU ARE THE BEST FOR THIS RECRUITMENT. AFTER THAT, WE WILL GO THROUGH A SERIES OF QUESTIONS TO BE PRESENTED BY THE COUNCILMEMBERS. WE WILL HAVE 40 MINUTES FOR THAT QUESTION AND ANSWER PERIOD. THERE ARE 22 QUESTIONS TO GET THROUGH. IT IS ABOUT TWO MINUTES PER CAR RESTAURANT -- PER QUESTION. THAT IS OUR TIMEFRAME, ABOUT 40 MINUTES. DEBORAH WILL BE KEEPING TRACK OF THE TIME. BEFORE WE START, I WILL LET THE COUNCILMEMBERS INTRODUCE THEMSELVES. THEN WE WILL HEAR FROM YOU AND YOUR PRESENTATION.

THANK YOU. MAYOR ZOLLMAN.

COUNCILMEMBER MAURER.

COUNCILMEMBER CARTER.

AND VICE MAYOR McLEWIS. I'M SORRY I CANNOT BE THERE IN PERSON.

THANK YOU.

I AM PAM DERBY AND I MANAGE THE EXECUTIVE FUNCTION AT CPS HR CONSULTING. WHAT MANY PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE ABOUT US IS THAT WE ARE A JOINT POWERS AUTHORITY. WE ARE ONLY ALLOWED TO DO PUBLIC SECTOR WORK. MOST OF THE NONPROFIT WE DO WAS MORE OF A THE ANTHROPIC ENDEAVOR. WE HAVE BEEN DOING EXECUTIVE SEARCH NOW FOR -- THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS. I DID DO THIS RECRUITMENT ABOUT 17 YEARS AGO AS A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY. SO LITTLE DÉJÀ VU WHEN YOU HAVE BEEN HERE AS LONG AS I HAVE. WE HAVE DONE CITY MANAGER RECRUITMENTS FROM VERY LARGE TO VERY SMALL. WE JUST COMPLETED THE CITY OF SACRAMENTO, WHICH WAS A GREAT SUCCESS. I THINK THE CLOSEST ONE OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS WAS THE CITY OF MARYSVILLE, NEVER REALLY HAD A TRUE CITY MANAGER. THEY ARE A TOWN OF ABOUT 12,000. I AM FROM THAT COUNTY. IT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR ME TO GET THEM SOMEONE WHO COULD BE A TRUE CITY MANAGER. I WAS ABLE TO ATTRACT SOMEONE WHO WAS A DEPUTY IN FRESNO WHO HAS NOW BEEN THERE FIVE YEARS. BY ALL ACCOUNTS, THAT PERSON IS DOING A GREAT JOB. WE HAVE DONE MANY OF THESE TYPES OF RECRUITMENTS FROM LARGE TO SMALL.

I AM FATIMA NUKIC, ONE OF THE EXECUTIVE RECRUITERS AT CPS. I HAVE BEEN WITH CPS FOR ABOUT 15 YEARS NOW. I REPORT DIRECTLY TO PAM DERBY.

City Council Meeting Packet of: October 21, 2025

ALL RIGHT. IF THAT CONCLUDES YOUR PRESENTATION, WE WILL MOVE TO THE QUESTION PORTION. I WILL TURN IT OVER TO STEPHEN, WHO WILL START US OFF.

QUESTION NUMBER ONE, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO GET TO KNOW THIS CITY OF SEBASTOPOL , OUR COMMUNITY, CULTURE, AND COMMUNITY VALUES AND PRIORITIES? WHAT HAVE YOU DISCOVERED NOW?

WHAT YOU NOW KNOW ABOUT THE CITY OF SEBASTOPOL, WHO WE ARE, AND WHO OUR MANAGER NEEDS TO BE?
THE THING ABOUT SEBASTOPOL IS THAT IT HAS REALLY ALWAYS BEEN, YOU HAVE VERY STRONG NONPROFITS. I DON'T KNOW IF IT IS STILL THE CASE. I THINK AT THE TIME I DID THIS RECRUITMENT THE LAST TIME, THE LIBRARY WAS BEING FUNDED AND WE WERE WORKING WITH THE LIBRARY AT THAT TIME. IT NEEDS TO BE SOMEONE WHO UNDERSTANDS THAT IT IS A SMALL TOWN THAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN FACING BUDGET ISSUES. MANY SMALL CITIES ARE IN CALIFORNIA. YOU NEED IS CITY MANAGER WHO IS READY TO DEAL WITH THOSE THINGS. THEY

ALSO NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT THEY HAVE VERY ACTIVE CITIZENRY WHO IS VERY INTERESTED IN THE THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING. OVER THE YEARS, THERE HAS BEEN GROWTH AND TAX SITUATIONS THAT HAS GONE ON.

THERE NEEDS TO BE SOMEONE WHO HAS DEALT WITH SOME OF THOSE THINGS, AS WELL. IT IS ALSO A PLACE

WHERE YOU CAN BRING IN SOMEONE WHO IS SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T NECESSARILY HAVE TO BE A CITY MANAGER ALREADY, BUT CAN BE MENTORED. WE CAN PLAY SOMEONE SUCCESSFULLY IN THE ROLE HERE.

HOW DID YOU SHARE WITH POTENTIAL CANDIDATES WHAT MAKES SEBASTOPOL A GREAT PLACE TO WORK? AT THE TIME I DID IT THE LAST TIME, YOU HAD VERY LITTLE TURNOVER IN STAFF, A DEDICATED STAFF. IT IS A SMALL STAFF, OBVIOUSLY. PEOPLE WANT TO BE HERE. THEY WANT TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE COMMUNITY. THIS IS A PLACE WHERE SOME WOULD WANT TO LIVE YOUR. THE HOUSING LEVEL IS SOMETHING WE HAVE TO BE

COGNIZANT OF, BUT THAT IS ONE OF THE THINGS WE NEED TO BE DOING WITH OUR OUTREACH WE ARE

TALKING TO PEOPLE, THAT WE ARE ENSURING THAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT IF YOU CAN MAKE THAT HOUSING JUMP. IN CALIFORNIA, YOU CANNOT REQUIRE ANYONE TO LIVE IN THE CITY. BUT I WOULD SAY THIS IS A VERY COMMUNITY ORIENTED PLACE. THAT IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS. THEY NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT. I AM SURE COUNCIL WANTS THEM TO BE PHYSICAL -- VISIBLE AT COMMUNITY EVENTS. IT MAKES IT MUCH EASIER IF THEY ARE A PART OF THE COMMUNITY. AND THEY NEED TO BE INVESTED.

THANK YOU.

HOW DO YOU BUILD A PICTURE OF THE IDEAL CANDIDATE FOR SEBASTOPOL? WHAT DOES THAT MEAN IN RELATION TO HOW YOU MARKET FOR SELECT CANDIDATES?
FIRST OF ALL, WE WILL SPEAK WITH EACH COUNCIL MEMBER INDIVIDUALLY. IT IS IMPORTANT TO SPEAK WITH EACH OF YOU TO KNOW WHAT YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT. TYPICALLY WE TALK TO STAFF, AS WELL. I THINK IT IS

IMPORTANT IN THIS SITUATION TO FIND OUT WHO ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE US TO DO ENGAGEMENT WITH, WHETHER THAT IS DOING IT COMMUNITY SURVEY THAT WOULD BE AVAILABLE ON YOUR WEBSITE. YOU MAY HAVE OTHERS YOU WANT US TO SPEAK WITH. KIND OF THE UBER ENGAGEMENT EXAMPLE IS SACRAMENTO. WE DID FOUR IN PERSON COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EVENTS. WE DID TWO ONLINE. WE STUCK WITH ABOUT 14 NGOS IN MEETINGS. WE GOT ABOUT 400 RESPONSES FROM THE ONLINE SURVEY. IT DOES NOT SEEM LIKE A LOT, BUT IT IS. SO WE TOOK ALL OF THAT INFORMATION, WHATEVER TYPE OF ENGAGEMENT YOU WOULD LIKE US TO DO, PUT IT TOGETHER. OBVIOUSLY THE COUNCIL NEEDS TO APPROVE THAT. CANDIDATES OFTENTIMES WILL CALL YOU AND SAY, WHAT DO THEY REALLY WANT? I TELL THEM BUT DID YOU READ THE BROCHURE. THIS PROGRAM CAME DIRECTLY FROM THE PEOPLE WE SPOKE WITH. WE WANT TO ADVERTISE FOR THE PERSON YOU ARE LOOKING FOR. THOSE CONVERSATIONS ARE WHAT GIVE US THE IDEA OF HOW WE DO THIS. IN THE BEGINNING, WE WILL DO A VERY BROAD OUTREACH. THE FOLLOW-UP IS GOING TO BE WITH THOSE INDIVIDUALS

WHO FIT THE PROFILE THAT YOU TALKED ABOUT, THAT YOU REALLY WANT SOMEONE WITH CALIFORNIA EXPERIENCE. YOU WANT SOMEONE WHO HAS BEEN ON THE COAST OR IN THE BAY AREA. THERE ARE MANY THINGS YOU ARE FACING BECAUSE OF THAT. SO THOSE ARE ALL THE TYPES OF THINGS WE ARE DOING WITH THE OUTREACH. THAT IS WHY IT IS INCUMBENT ON US TO DO OUR HOMEWORK AND SPEAK WITH YOU. FATIMA DOES MUCH OF THE OUTREACH ALONG WITH THE REST OF THE TEAM. IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD? City Council Meeting Packet of: October 21, 2025

WE DO A DEEP DIVE INTO WHAT IT IS YOU ARE LOOKING FOR AND MAKE SURE THAT WE REFLECT THAT IN THE OUTREACH. WE COVER OUR TRADITIONAL PLACING ADS ON ASSOCIATION WEBSITES. WE ALSO DO SOME

NONTRADITIONAL SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS, MAKING SURE THAT WE SHARE WITH THE CITY IS LOOKING FOR

SO THAT WHEN CANDIDATES LOOK AT THE VIDEOS THAT WE POST ON SOCIAL MEDIA, A LOOK AT THE ADS THAT

WE HAVE PLACED, BUT THEY HAVE A GOOD SENSE OF WHAT IT IS THAT THE CITY NEEDS AND THOSE INDIVIDUALS ARE THE RIGHT FIT FOR THE CITY OF SEBASTOPOL.

THAT IS SOMETHING ELSE WE HAVE BEEN DOING. THE TEAM DOES GREAT WORK ON SOCIAL MEDIA. THEY COME UP WITH GREAT THINGS, WHETHER IT BE ABOUT THE PICTURES YOU HAVE PROVIDED US. WE HAVE STAFF POST VIDEOS SAYING, THIS IS WHY YOU WANT TO COME AND WORK HERE. THOSE THINGS CAN BE REALLY ATTRACTIVE TO CANDIDATES, BEEN ABLE TO SPEAK WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE ALREADY A PART OF THE ORGANIZATION HERE.

HOW DO YOU BUILD CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT IN THIS PROCESS? WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE FOR YOU? USUALLY WE DO IT IN THE BEGINNING, AT THE FRONT END. THERE ARE COUNCILS WANT TO INCLUDE CITIZEN

ENGAGEMENT AT THE END OF THE PROCESS, WHETHER IT IS A MEET AND GREET TYPE OF SITUATION OR EVEN HAVING A CITIZEN PANEL. ONE OF THE THINGS ABOUT THAT THAT WE ALWAYS CAUTION AGAINST IS JUST, IF

YOU DO INCLUDE CITIZENS SOMEHOW IN THE PROCESS, IN THE SELECTION PROCESS, OFTEN TIMES THEY ARE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THAN THE COUNCILS LOOKING FOR. OFTENTIMES THEY DON'T REALLY GRASP THE SCOPE OF THE ROLE OF THE CITY MANAGER. IF YOU GIVE THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE YOU THAT FEEDBACK ON SPECIFIC CANDIDATES, YOU ARE NEVER GOING TO MAKE EVERYBODY HAPPY.

THAT IS WHY WE ALWAYS SUGGEST THAT YOU DO THIS VERY ROBUST PROCESS AT THE BEGINNING RATHER THAN DOING IT, INCLUDING THAT AT THE END. WE HAVE DONE THOSE PROCESSES. I THINK IT IS EASIER FOR THE

COUNCIL AND THAT IT GIVES THE COMMUNITY THE OPPORTUNITY TO FEEL LIKE THEY HAD A PIECE OF THE OPPORTUNITY. WE ALSO SUGGEST THAT CITIES HAVE A WEBSITE, HAVE A PAGE ON THE WEBSITE THAT -- MY

APOLOGIES, VICE MAYOR, I MEAN TO KEEP TURNING THIS WAY, TOO -- THAT YOU HAVE A WEBSITE DEDICATED TO THE CITY MANAGER SEARCH. THE COMMUNITY CAN SEE THAT THIS IS THE SCHEDULE, THESE ARE THE DATES

WHERE WE ANTICIPATE WHAT IS GOING TO BE HAPPENING SO THEY FEEL THE PROCESS HAS BEEN AS TRANSPARENT AS PROCESSABLE. IN CALIFORNIA, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT CANDIDATES AND DO INTERVIEWS, THAT CAN ALWAYS BE IN CLOSED SESSION, WHICH IS ONE OF THE ATTRACTIVE THINGS ABOUT CALIFORNIA. IT MAKES CANDIDATES IS CONCERNED ABOUT THE CONFIDENTIALITY OF THE PROCESS. WE ARE DOING SOMETHING IN NEVADA RIGHT NOW WHERE EVERYTHING IS AN OPEN SESSION. ALL THE CANDIDATES HAVE TO INTERVIEW IN AN OPEN SESSION.

WITH OTHER CITIES LOOKING AT THE SAME TIME, SOME LARGER AND OFFERING HIGHER SALARIES, HOW WOULD YOU CONVINCE CANDIDATES TO CHOOSE SEBASTOPOL?
THERE ARE MANY WAYS THAT WE DO THE OUTREACH, AS FATIMA MENTIONED. WE HAVE CONVERSATIONS TO DETERMINE WHAT THE CANDIDATES LOOK LIKE. ONE OF THE WAYS, WE USE TRANSPARENT CALIFORNIA A LOT.

WE CAN SEE ROUGHLY WHERE PEOPLE ARE SO WE CAN DETERMINE WHICH PEOPLE WITHIN THE 50 MILE RADIUS AND THEN A 100 MILE RADIUS AND THEN THIS CAN BE A LITTLE BIT OF A STEP UP FOR THEM. I HAVE SOMETIMES COUNCILS THAT WILL SAY, IT IS SO GREAT HERE. SOME PEOPLE EXPECT THEM TO TAKE A REDUCTION IN SALARY.

THAT IS JUST NOT REALISTIC. YOU CAN GET SOMEBODY WHO IS MAYBE RETIRED OUT THROUGH THE 1937 ACT POSSIBLY, ET CETERA. BUT THEN THEY ARE AT THE END OF THEIR CAREER. IS THAT SOMEBODY THAT YOU WANT?

OR DO YOU WANT SOMEBODY WHO HAS A LOT OF ENERGY, WANTS TO LEAVE A LEGACY, AND WANTS TO ACCOMPLISH A LOT OF THINGS? THAT IS WHY YOU HIRE US, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR CANDIDATES IN THE RIGHT WAY. 65 TO 70% OF THE CANDIDATES THAT WE PLACE ALL COME FROM OUR DIRECT APPLICATIONS.

HOW DO YOU ASSESS THE ABILITY OF THE CANDIDATE TO BE SAFE IN INTERACTIONS AND SUCH WITH ALL OF THEM?
WE DO A LOT OF BEHAVIORAL PREFERENCE CHECKING WHEN WE SCREEN PEOPLE. FATIMA DOES A LOT OF THE PREFERENCE CHECKING. WE ASKED THEM FOR SIX REFERENCES. WE WANT TO SPEAK WITH PEOPLE THEY HAVE REPORTED TO, PEOPLE WHO HAVE REPORTED TO THEM, AND COLLEAGUES. PEOPLE CAN BE DIFFERENT IN ALL City Council Meeting Packet of: October 21, 2025

THOSE SITUATIONS. I ALWAYS SAY CITY MANAGER IS THE ULTIMATE MIDDLE MANAGEMENT ROLE. YOU ARE MANAGING UP TO FIVE DIFFERENT PEOPLE AND DOWN TO AN ENTIRE ORGANIZATION. THOSE ARE DIFFERENT ROLES. WE WANT TO TALK TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE INTERACTED WITH THEM IN ALL OF THOSE. WE HAVE A LONG TELEPHONE CONVERSATIONS. BUT ALSO WHEN WE ARE TALKING TO CANDIDATES, WE TALKED TO THEM ABOUT DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS THEY HAVE HAD WITH PEOPLE. WE TALK ABOUT DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS WITH CUSTOMERS, WITH CITIZENS, ET CETERA, ALL OF THOSE DIFFERENT TYPES OF THINGS TO SEE HOW THEY REACT.

ANY OTHER THINGS YOU CAN THINK OF WITH REFERENCE CHECKING?

WE TRY OUR HARDEST TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THEIR PERSONALITY AND HOW THEY TREAT OTHERS THAT THEY HAVE WORKED WITH. WE WORK TO GET A PICTURE OF IF IT WOULD BE A GOOD FIT FOR THE ORGANIZATION.

WE HAVE ALSO WORKED WITH CONSULTING COMPANIES. SOME COUNCILS DECIDE THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO DO THAT. IT IS A LEADERSHIP ASSESSMENT. WE ONLY SUGGEST THAT YOU DO THAT ON FINAL LIST CANDIDATES.

THAT IS AN EXTRA EXPENSE. EVERYTHING ELSE IS INCLUDED IN OUR FLAT FEE. THE ONLY THING NOT INCLUDED WOULD BE THOSE ASSESSMENTS. THEY ARE $450 PER TEST. IS ALSO $2500 TO HAVE THE HOGAN CERTIFIED ASSESSOR DO A WORKSHOP WITH YOU TO EXPLAIN THE RESULTS. I LIKE THAT THE REPORTS ALSO HAVE A DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR SOME OF THE PLACES WHERE THEY MAY BE WEAK. I GET PASSIONATE ABOUT THAT.

I JUST DID SEVEN, SO I THINK IT IS SIX.

I DON'T REMEMBER READING THE DIVERSITY AND EQUITY PART. DID WE SKIP SEVEN? YOU SKIPPED SIX. RIGHT?
I WAS TAKING NOTES.

MAYOR, AND YOU SAID THE QUESTIONS YOU SAID YOU WERE ASKING NUMBER SIX, BUT YOU ACTUALLY ASKED NUMBER FIVE. THE NEXT ONE, SOMEONE WENT ON TO SKIP THE ONE. I THINK THERE WAS SOME CONFUSION WITH THE NUMBERING.

WE STARTED WITH FIVE AT THE TOP. IF WE MADE THAT FOUR, BETWEEN PAGE 1 AND TWO, THERE IS A SKIP.

FOUR THROUGH SEVEN IS ON PAGE 2. I APOLOGIZE FOR THAT. WE SOMEHOW SKIPPED IT.

I THINK WE ASKED NUMBER SIX.

I DIDN'T HEAR ANYTHING ABOUT DIVERSITY. I WILL ASK THAT. I ASKED ABOUT SAFETY.

CAN YOU DO NUMBER SIX THEN?
WHAT IS NUMBER SEVEN ON OUR SHEET? NUMBER SIX, WE WILL DO THAT.

ALL RIGHT. WE WILL GET TO THAT QUESTION AND. HOW DO YOU ASSESS A CANDIDATE INVOLVING DIVERSITY,

EQUITY, AND INCLUSION, AND BELONGING, WHETHER OR NOT A CANDIDATE DOES -- DISPLAYS CULTURAL AWARENESS?
WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING AROUND DEI, I SAY WHAT IS THE ACT? IT IS SOMETHING WE ASKED DURING REFERENCE CHECKS. IT IS IMPORTANT TO US TO BE LOOKING FOR THOSE CANDIDATES. SO WE HAVE OUR OWN UNIT AT CPS HR. WE PUT ON WORKSHOPS, ET CETERA. ON THE FLIPSIDE OF THAT 57% OF THE CANDIDATES WE HAVE PLACED HAVE BEEN FEMALE, PEOPLE OF COLOR, OR BOTH.

HOW DO YOU ASSESS THE CONFLICT RESOLUTION STYLE OF THE CANDIDATE IN RELATION TO THAT OF CITY AND COUNCIL CULTURE?

AGAIN, IT IS THE QUESTIONS THAT YOU ARE ASKING WHEN YOU BEGIN SCREENING, ASKING THEM TO GIVE YOU ONE EXAMPLE OF HOW THEY HAVE HANDLED THOSE THINGS IN THE PAST. WE ASK THEM HOW THEY DEAL WITH A SPLIT COUNCIL. THAT GIVES YOU AN IDEA OF THOSE TYPES OF SITUATIONS. CERTAINLY IT IS SOMETHING WE ASK IN REFERENCE CHECKING AGAIN.

JUST TO MAKE SURE THIS IS THE SECOND QUESTION ON PAGE 3.

NUMBER NINE.

THE CITY MANAGER IS REALLY A 24 HOUR A DAY COMMITMENT DURING THE FIRST YEAR AS THE NEW GENERAL

MANAGER LEARNS THE ROPES AND GROSS RELATIONSHIPS IF THE CANDIDATE FEELS THE SALARY DOES NOT

MATCH THAT LEVEL OF COMMITMENT, HOW WOULD YOU TALK ABOUT THE ADVANTAGES OF WORKING FOR A SMALL CITY, LIKE STRONG CONNECTIONS, A MORE COLLABORATIVE CONNECTION, AND QUALITY OF LIFE HERE? City Council Meeting Packet of: October 21, 2025

THAT IS OUR JOB, TO SELL THE CANDIDATES ON THE CITY OF SEBASTOPOL. WE WILL DO A SURVEY AT THE VERY BEGINNING SO YOU KNOW. CERTAINLY THE COUNCIL NEEDS TO KNOW WHAT YOU ARE UP AGAINST. ESPECIALLY SOMEBODY WHO IS MIDCAREER, IT WOULD BE HARD TO ASK SOMEONE TO TAKE A SALARY DECREASE. IT IS NOT REALLY REALISTIC. YET THE OTHER THING IS THAT PEOPLE WHO ARE GOING TO BE RIGHT FOR SEBASTOPOL, THEY ARE NOT READY FOR A SACRAMENTO. THAT IS THE REALITY. IT IS A SMALLER PLACE. WHAT YOU WANT SOMEBODY WHO IS GOING TO BE HERE BETWEEN 5 TO 10 YEARS. FIVE YEARS IS GREAT. THEY CAN GET SOME THINGS DONE. CAN DO A STRATEGIC PLAN AND SEE SOME THINGS COME TO FRUITION. IT IS A GOOD LEGACY BUILDER FOR PEOPLE. I AM FROM A TOWN OF 3500 PEOPLE. I CAN SELL PEOPLE ON A SMALL TOWN. I THINK IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT. I UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS MORE IMPORTANT -- PEOPLE IN A TOWN WITH HALF 1 MILLION PEOPLE, MOST OF THEM ARE NOT EVEN GOING TO KNOW THE NAME OF THE CITY MANAGER. IN SEBASTOPOL, THEY ARE. YOU CANNOT GO TO THE GROCERY STORE WITHOUT PEOPLE ASKING YOU WHAT IS HAPPENING. WE

WANT TO MAKE SURE WE ARE TALKING TO CANDIDATES ABOUT THAT TYPE OF SITUATION, THAT YOU ARE VERY VISIBLE. THAT IS NOT A BAD THING.

HOW DO YOU MANAGE ANY NEGATIVE PRESS ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION? PEOPLE ARE GOING TO FIND THAT. WE WANT TO HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS WITH YOU TO KNOW WHAT THE CIRCUMSTANCES ARE, OBVIOUSLY. WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU IS THAT THINGS ARE POSITIVELY GOING

FORWARD, THAT YOU ARE COMMITTED TO HAVING A POSITIVE MANAGER -- RELATIONSHIP WITH THE NEXT CITY MANAGER, AND THAT YOU ARE SHARING THOSE THINGS HONESTLY AND TRUTHFULLY. THERE ARE CITIES THAT HAVE SOME NEGATIVE PRESS ABOUT THEM OR A LOT. IT DEPENDS ON WHERE YOU ARE. SOMETIMES THE PRESS JUST DOESN'T LIKE ANY PUBLIC AGENCY AND THEY ARE GOING AFTER THEM ALL THE TIME. PEOPLE IN THIS BUSINESS, THEY UNDERSTAND THAT. MANY OF THEM HAVE BEEN THE SUBJECTS OF IT. THAT IS SOMETHING AGAIN THAT WE ARE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT AND CHECKING. WE DO MEDIA CHECKS ON ALL THE CANDIDATES THAT WE WOULD RECOMMEND TO YOU.

I THINK I SKIPPED AGAIN. WE WILL FIX THAT.

IF I HAD A FOLLOW-UP, THAT IS WHAT I WOULD ASK, AND I'M NOT ASKING THIS. I AM JUST SPEAKING OUT OF LINE. HOW THE CITY MANAGES THE MEDIA IS KIND OF A THING. HOW MANY SUCCESSFUL CITY MANAGERS HAVE YOU PLACED IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS? HAVE WE READ THAT? WE ARE GOING TO ASK THAT RIGHT NOW.

IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA? SIX.

MAYBE SEVEN. BASICALLY SOMEONE ASKED ABOUT LONGEVITY OF OUR PLACEMENTS. I LOOKED AT 2019, 2020.

IN THAT SPAN, I HAD DONE 19 CITY MANAGERS, EXECUTIVE MANAGERS, AND CEOS IN EXECUTIVE POSITIONS. OF THOSE, 18 OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS ARE STILL THERE.

GREAT. VICE MAYOR?
I THINK YOU ARE ON MUTE.

SORRY ABOUT THAT. HAVE YOU RECRUITED FOR CITY WHERE THE INCUMBENT WAS IN THE SEAT FOR LESS THAN 18 MONTHS? DID THAT IMPACT YOUR RECRUITMENT STRATEGY AT ALL AND HOW? TYPICALLY, THE MEDIA IS OUT THERE. THEY ARE GOING TO SEE THAT THAT HAS BEEN THE SITUATION. THEY ARE GOING TO ASK US ABOUT IT. THAT IS WHY WE NEED TO HAVE THE CONVERSATIONS, TO KNOW YOUR TAKE ON IT, WHAT IS THE TAKE OF THE COUNCIL ON IT. WHERE WERE THE HOLES WITH THAT CANDIDATE? WAS THERE SOMETHING THAT WAS MISSED? BEING HONEST HERE, THERE IS A CITY IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY THAT RECENTLY, I KNEW THEIR ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER VERY WOW. HE HAD BEEN A CANDIDATE FOR ME OVER THE YEARS AND HE WAS GREAT. I THINK HE TOOK ON TOO MUCH. THE CANDIDATE THEY HIRED, I NEVER WOULD HAVE PUT FORWARD. I KNEW WHO THE CANDIDATE WAS. I KNEW ABOUT THEM. WHEN I SAW THAT THAT WAS WHO HAD BEEN PLACED, I SAID THAT IS NOT GOING TO WORK. IT LASTED SIX MONTHS. THOSE ARE JUST THE THINGS THAT WE ARE UP AGAINST. IF IT WAS EASY, YOU WOULD JUST DO IT YOURSELVES. AND IT IS BECAUSE IT IS NOT. THERE ARE A LOT OF POLITICS INVOLVED. THERE IS A LOT OF DIPLOMACY THAT IS INVOLVED. THESE ARE NOT EASY. YOU PROBABLY ALL DON'T HAVE THE SAME IDEA OF WHAT THE CITY MANAGER NEEDS TO LOOK LIKE. IT IS INCUMBENT ON US TO FIGURE THAT OUT, AS WELL.

City Council Meeting Packet of: October 21, 2025

HOW OFTEN WILL YOU BE ON SITE DURING THE PROCESS? HOW WILL STAFF AND COUNCIL PARTICIPATE IN THE PROCESS? BASICALLY, WHAT YOU NEED FROM US? HOW WOULD THAT BE INCORPORATED? DO YOU WANT TO TAKE THAT?
IT DEPENDS ON THE CITY AND THE COUNCIL HOW MANY TIMES YOU NEED US HERE. WE TYPICALLY FACILITATE THE IN PERSON INTERVIEWS. WHAT WE TYPICALLY DO IS, WE DO THE PRESCREENING. WE GIVE YOU OUR LIST OF CANDIDATES THAT WE RECOMMEND TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE PROCESS. WE TALK ABOUT IT. THEN YOU MAKE YOUR FINAL SELECTION. AND THEN ONCE THE INTERVIEWS ARE SET, WE WILL BE HERE TO HELP FACILITATE THE PROCESS. OF COURSE, IF THERE ARE ANY OTHER TIMES YOU NEED US TO BE HERE, WE WILL BE.

BOTH PAM AND I ARE VERY MUCH AN EMAIL OR A PHONE CALL AWAY IF ANYONE NEEDS ANYTHING FROM US AT ANY TIME. WE ARE HAPPY TO JUMP ON A PHONE CALL AND ANSWER A QUESTION OR RESPOND TO AN EMAIL, WHATEVER THAT MAY LOOK LIKE. IT IS DEFINITELY RUN BY YOUR NEEDS AND WANTS AS TO HOW MANY TIMES YOU WANT US HERE. AND WHAT TYPE OF WORK YOU NEED FROM US THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS.

THE OTHER THING I WOULD SAY IS THAT, NUMBER ONE, I ALWAYS HAVE TWO OF US ON A PROJECT. I AM ON THE ROAD A LOT. FATIMA ALWAYS NEEDS TO BE CCED ON EVERYTHING. THAT WAY THINGS DON'T FALL THROUGH THE CRACKS. THE OTHER THING IS THAT THIS IS A WHITE GLOVE SERVICE. WE HAVE A SMALL STAFF.

WE WILL PUT TOGETHER ALL THE MATERIALS. WE WILL HELP YOU WITH QUESTIONS. THE THINGS WE NEED FROM STAFF, IT IS LIKE, DO YOU HAVE A CURRENT JOB DESCRIPTION? WHAT DO THE BENEFITS LOOK LIKE? WHAT WAS THE EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT WITH THE LAST CITY MANAGER? WHAT IS THE SALARY RANGE? AND WE NEED PHOTOS. THOSE ARE THE THINGS WE NEED TO PUT TOGETHER THE RECRUITMENT BROCHURE. OTHER THAN THAT, LOGISTICALLY, WE NEED STAFF TO HELP US OUT. BUT TYPICALLY, WE WANT TO DO AS MUCH AS WE CAN TO ALLEVIATE THAT.

HOW MANY CANDIDATES SHOULD WE EXPECT TO APPLY? WHAT HAPPENS IF THE FIRST ROUND OF CANDIDATES DOESN'T SEEM TO FIT THE NEEDS OF THE CITY?
FOR THIS RECRUITMENT, I WOULD ANTICIPATE 25 TO 30 APPLICANTS. THAT WOULD BE OUR GOAL. TYPICALLY WE WILL BE INTERVIEWING BETWEEN EIGHT AND 12 FOR A CITY THIS SIZE. YOU WOULD THEN USUALLY GET IT DOWN TO FOUR OR FIVE FOR A FIRST ROUND OF INTERVIEWS. WE DON'T PUT ANY SPECIFIC NUMBER ON IT. I KNOW SOME OF OUR COMPETITORS SAY WE WILL BRING YOU 10 STRONG CANDIDATES. WE DON'T WANT TO GUARANTEE THAT. WE WILL DO EVERYTHING WE CAN. THE OTHER THING IS THAT IF WE DON'T GIVE PEOPLE THE FIRST TIME AROUND, NUMBER ONE, I WILL BE HONEST WITH YOU AND SAY I THINK WE NEED TO KEEP GOING.

FOR A POSITION LIKE THIS, WE ADVERTISE AS OPEN UNTIL FILLED. THAT WAY, IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE WE REOPENED IT. WE ARE JUST GOING TO CONTINUE OUR REALLY DEEP DIVE AND OUTREACH. SOMETIMES WE NEED TO CHANGE OUR MESSAGE IN OUTREACH. SOMETIMES WE NEED TO SHIFT GEARS AND LOOK AT SOMETHING MORE CREATIVE IN A WAY THAT WE ARE ATTRACTING CANDIDATES. AND IT DOESN'T COST ANYTHING. WE WILL GO UNTIL WE FIND THE RIGHT PERSON.

I APPRECIATE THAT. THIS IS A RELATED QUESTION. WHAT HAPPENS IF THE RECRUITMENT POOL FOR THE CITY IS TOO SMALL? WHAT IS TOO SMALL?
I DON'T KNOW IF THERE IS A TOO SMALL. SOMETHING I LIKE TO SAY IS THAT IT ONLY TAKES ONE PERSON.

RECENTLY I HAD A RECRUITMENT WHERE I HAD AN AMAZING CANDIDATE. THE MAYOR AND THE CITY WAS LIKE, WHY WOULD THEY WANT TO LEAVE THAT ORGANIZATION? I WAS LIKE, DO THE INTERVIEW. JUST DO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE WHAT YOU THINK. IF WE CANNOT GET THEM TO THE INTERVIEW STAGE, YOU ARE NEVER GOING TO KNOW. BUT MY FEELING IS, I WANT YOU TO HAVE A GOOD 4 TO 5 SOLID CANDIDATES FOR YOU TO INTERVIEW THE FIRST TIME THROUGH. THAT IS CERTAINLY OUR GOAL. SOMETIMES THAT IS NOT GOING TO BE THE CASE. IT IS A DISCUSSION FOR US TO HAVE. I AM ALWAYS GOING TO BE VERY UPFRONT WITH YOU AND SAY, THIS IS WHERE WE ARE. THESE ARE THE THINGS I THINK YOU NEED TO DO. THIS IS THE FEEDBACK WE ARE GETTING. WHEN WE ARE DOING OUTREACH, IT IS JUST AS IMPORTANT FOR US TO KNOW WHY PEOPLE AREN'T APPLYING AS TO WHY THEY ARE. I ALWAYS SAY THAT WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THE CLIENT BACK.

HOW DO IDENTIFY AND PREPARE QUESTIONS FOR FINAL INTERVIEWS? ARE COUNCILMEMBERS ABLE TO SUBMIT THE QUESTIONS FOR FINAL INTERVIEWS?
City Council Meeting Packet of: October 21, 2025

ABSOLUTELY. IT IS A VERY PARTICIPATORY PROCESS. WE HAVE A MENU OF QUESTIONS AND THEY ARE DIFFERENT FOR EVERY JURISDICTION. THEY ARE DIFFERENT BECAUSE YOU HAVE DIFFERENT THINGS, CHALLENGES AND THINGS THAT YOU ARE FACING. THAT IS A PARTICIPATORY THING. I WOULD THINK THERE WILL BE CONTACTS FOR MUCH OF THIS. WE ARE SENDING THINGS TO YOU AND ASKING YOU FOR QUESTIONS.

SOMETIMES, BECAUSE COUNCILS, WE HAVE THINGS MORE CASUAL FOR THAT LAST INTERVIEW. WE WILL GIVE YOU A MENU OF QUESTIONS AND YOU CAN DECIDE WHICH QUESTIONS YOU WANT TO ASK ON THAT DAY. WE HAVE HAD BIG BOARDS OF 20 PEOPLE DECIDE TO DO THAT. THE CHAIR HAS TO RUN THOSE THINGS BACK.

OKAY. WILL THE INTERVIEW -- MATERIALS THAT YOU PROVIDE ONLY BE THOSE THAT YOU BRING TO THE INTERVIEW?
YES, YOU CAN IF YOU WANT TO. WE WILL HAPPILY PROVIDE ALL THE RESUMES THAT WE COLLECT. WE TYPICALLY

DO IS WE CREATE A REPORT FOR YOU THAT INCLUDES A SNAPSHOT OF THE RESUME THAT WE CREATE SO IT IS

EASIER FOR YOU TO LOOK AT ALL OF THEIR EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION AND PROVIDE YOU WITH A QUICK OVERVIEW OR SUMMARY OF WHAT WE FOUND THROUGHOUT OUR SCREENING PROCESS. LET'S SAY WE RECEIVE 40 RESUMES AND WE SCREENED 12 OF THOSE, IF YOU WANTED TO SEE ALL THE RESUMES, WE WILL DEFINITELY PROVIDE THOSE TO YOU. WE DO PROVIDE A LIST OF EVERYBODY'S NAMES, OF ALL THE 40 CANDIDATES WE HAVE RECEIVED, SO YOU CAN HAVE AT LEAST THE NAMES OF CANDIDATES IF YOU WANT TO TAKE A LOOK AT THEM.

AND WHAT THEIR CURRENT TITLES AND WHO THEIR CURRENT EMPLOYERS ARE.

WHAT HAPPENS IF THE CITY GOES THROUGH THE PROCESS AND DOES NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE HIRING? THEN WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT WHERE WE GO FROM HERE. THAT HAPPENS SOMETIMES. NOT OFTEN, BUT IT DOES. TYPICALLY I DON'T LET US GET TO THAT STAGE USUALLY. I AM USUALLY PRETTY CONFIDENT, VERY

CONFIDENT FRANKLY, WHEN WE GET THE POINT OF INTERVIEWING THESE CANDIDATES, THAT THERE IS SOMEBODY THERE THAT YOU ARE GOING TO LIKE. THAT IS JUST THE REALITY. IF I DON'T SEE PEOPLE WHO ARE

STRONG ENOUGH AM A IF I DON'T THINK YOU ARE GOING TO BE HAPPY WITH THEM, I WILL TELL YOU THAT AND WE WILL KEEP LOOKING.

I WILL ASK THIS QUESTION AND YOU CAN BE SHORT WITH IT. HOW REALISTIC IS YOUR TIME PROPOSAL? IF WE SELECT YOU TODAY, WHEN WILL THE TIMELINE START?
THE TIMELINE WILL START AS SOON AS WE GET THE CONTRACT ON. WE CAN START HAVING CONVERSATIONS WITH THE COUNCIL ASAP. YOU CANNOT SPEND ANY FUNDS WITH OUR VENDORS UNTIL WE ACTUALLY HAVE AN EXECUTED CONTRACT. BUT WE CAN START HAVING CONVERSATIONS. IT TAKES 3 TO 4 MONTHS. WHERE YOU CANNOT SKIMP IS THAT TIME IN BETWEEN WHERE YOU ARE LOOKING FOR CANDIDATES. YOU NEED TO HAVE ALL OF THAT TIME FRAME. WE ARE COMING UP AGAINST THE HOLIDAYS NOW. WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO KICK THINGS OFF, ET CETERA?
OKAY. IN THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS, YOU REACH OUT DIRECTLY TO THE PROSPECTIVE CANDIDATES? IF YES, WILL YOU DO THAT TO THEM PLACED HERE AFTER ONE YEAR?
WE TYPICALLY FOLLOW UP AFTER SIX MONTHS AND A YEAR. I WILL BE HONEST: I AM FRIENDS WITH MANY OF THE PEOPLE WE HAVE PLACED OVER THE YEARS.

WE DON'T OUTREACH TO CANDIDATES. IS THAT WHAT YOU ARE ASKING? PEOPLE WE HAVE PLACED, WE DON'T DO OUTREACH TO. MY CALL THEM AND SAY, YOU KNOW ANYBODY WOULD HAVE AN INTEREST IN THIS? THEY ARE REFERRALS FOR US. WE DON'T ACTIVELY RECRUIT THOSE PEOPLE.

THAT WOULD BE TACKY.

THANK YOU.

REGARDING THE PROPOSED COSTS, I THINK YOU MIGHT HAVE ANSWERED THIS, BUT YOU OFFER AN ASSESSMENT TOOL? WHAT DOES THAT COST?
AS I MENTIONED, YOU CAN DO ASSESSMENTS, JUST WHAT WE RECOMMEND. IF YOU ARE GOING TO DO ONE, IT IS $450 PER CANDIDATE. AND THEN IT IS $2000-$3000 FOR A REVIEW.

PLEASE CONFIRM THAT YOU ARE ASKING FOR NO REIMBURSEMENT EXPENDITURES.

WE USE A FLAT FEE. EVERYTHING IS INCLUDED IN THAT FLAT FEE PRICE. THE ONLY THING THAT WOULD BE IS IF YOU WANT TO DO CANDIDATE TRAVEL. WE WOULD ASK THAT YOU PUT, BECAUSE SOMETIMES IT IS EASIER TO City Council Meeting Packet of: October 21, 2025

GO THROUGH US, WE WOULD ASK THAT YOU PUT AN OPTION NOT TO EXCEED $5000 AMOUNT IN THE CONTRACT FOR CANDIDATE TRAVEL. THAT IS THE ONLY THING THAT IS NOT INCLUDED.

WHAT OTHER QUESTION SHOULD WE ASK ABOUT YOUR SERVICES OR THIS PROCESS? YOU'VE ASKED ALL THE QUESTIONS, I THINK? THAT WAS A VERY THOROUGH LIST OF QUESTIONS. OUR MISSION, WE ARE A PUBLIC AGENCY. I AM A PUBLIC-SECTOR WORKER. I HAVE SPENT MY ENTIRE CAREER IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR. ARE MISSION IS THE PROMISE OF THE PUBLIC-SECTOR. THAT IS WHAT WE WANT TO BRING TO YOU. IT IS MORE IMPORTANT TO GET THE RIGHT CANDIDATE THAN TO JUST PUT SOMEONE IN PLACE. WE ARE EMPLOYEES.

THIS IS NOT MY FIRM. I DON'T GET PAID A COMMISSION. NONE OF THOSE THINGS. WE ARE JUST A PUBLIC AGENCY AND WE ARE PUBLIC AGENCY EMPLOYEES. THOSE ARE OUR VALUES AT CPS.

WE ARE VERY HANDS-ON, TOO. WE ARE NOT JUST GOOD TO HAVE A POSITION POSTED WITH DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS AND HOPE FOR THE BEST. WE MAKE SURE WE DO OUR OUTREACH AND RESEARCH. WE

CONNECT WITH PEOPLE WE HAVE WORKED WITH IN THE PAST TO GET THOSE REFERRALS TO MAKE SURE WE GET YOU TO THE CANDIDATE YOU ARE LOOKING FOR.

I THINK SACRAMENTO IS A GREAT EXAMPLE. SACRAMENTO CANNOT STAY OFF THE FRONT PAGE OF THE BEE FOR A DAY AT A TIME. THEY SAID THE LAST MANAGER WAS THE HIGHEST-PAID CITY MANAGER IN CALIFORNIA, WHICH IS NOT TRUE. I SAID THAT A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT TIMES AFTER OUR STUDIES. THE CANDIDATE WE

PLACED, WHO IS CURRENTLY THE CITY MANAGER IN SANTA ROSA, WHO I THINK IS QUITE FRANKLY A ROCKSTAR,

FINALLY AFTER OUR FOURTH TELEPHONE CALL, REALLY BELIEVED THAT WE WERE SERIOUS AND FELT LIKE SHE WAS ONE OF THE TOP CANDIDATES. WE REALLY FELT SHE SHOULD APPLY. EVERYBODY IS HAPPY. TODAY, SHE DOESN'T START UNTIL JANUARY, BUT TODAY EVERYBODY IS REALLY HAPPY. THERE ARE SEVERAL DIFFERENT REASONS FOR THAT. BUT THAT IS HOW DOGGED WE ARE IN TARGETING THESE PEOPLE AND ENCOURAGING THEM TO APPLY.

WELL DONE.

USUALLY WE ARE THE ONES GOING LIKE THIS. BUT I SAY, I ALWAYS TELL CANDIDATES DON'T TALK TOO MUCH.

THEN I SAY I BLEW MY OWN RULES.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING IN TODAY. THAT CONCLUDES OUR PORTION WITH YOU THIS MORNING. WE APPRECIATE YOUR TIME.

THANK YOU FOR HAVING US.

THANK YOU SO MUCH. OUR PLEASURE.

I NEED ONE SECOND.

THANK YOU.

IN THE BACK OF THE BUILDING, IS THAT THE PARKING LOT?
YOU CAN GO ON EITHER SIDE OF THIS.

THANK YOU.

OKAY. DO WE NEED TO HAVE A QUICK BREAK, VICE MAYOR?
WE CAN DO NOW OR RIGHT BEFORE WE START THE NEXT ONE. WHATEVER WORKS. GO AHEAD.

WE HAVE THE CORRECT NUMBERS. ARE WE GOING TO GET TO TALK ABOUT THIS IN BETWEEN? WE WILL TALK RIGHT NOW.

APPARENTLY WE HAVE AN EQUIPMENT CHALLENGE TODAY, TOO.

I AM JUST GOING TO USE THIS INSTEAD OF THESE QUESTIONS.

YEAH, THAT IS FINE. IT DIDN'T LIKE THE BOXES AND KEPT SENDING NUMBERS ALL THE WAY DOWN. DO YOU KNOW IF THERE IS ANY WATER?
HOPEFULLY HERE IT COMES.

DO YOU NEED ANY WATER? DOES ANYBODY NEED ANY WATER? YES OR NO? I HAVE SOMETHING TO FILL UP OVER HERE.

IS THE VICE MAYOR BACK?
I AM HERE.

City Council Meeting Packet of: October 21, 2025

OKAY. JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE DIDN'T START THE PARTY WITHOUT YOU. WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE US TO DO NEXT?
THE IDEA NOW IS TO SPEND 10 TO 15 MINUTES DISCUSSING WHAT IT WAS THAT YOU HEARD. AND THEN BEFORE WE MOVE FROM THIS FIRST CANDIDATE, WE WILL SEE IF WE HAVE ANOTHER ONE. I DON'T THINK WE DO RIGHT NOW.

THEY ARE THERE.

THE NEXT APPLICANT?
NO.

SO 10 TO 15 MINUTES FOR YOU ALL TO CHAT ABOUT WHAT IT WAS THAT YOU HEARD FROM THEM, WHAT YOU LIKED, WHAT YOU THOUGHT OF THEM, YOU KNOW. I AM NOT GOING TO TELL YOU HOW TO HAVE A DISCUSSION.

OKAY. WHO WOULD LIKE TO JUMP IN?

THE JOINT POWERS, TO ME THAT PROVIDES A LITTLE BIT MORE AUTHENTICITY FROM WHERE THEY ARE COMING FROM. I LOVE MOST OF THEIR ANSWERS EXCEPT I'M NOT REALLY SURE HOW WELL SANTA ROSA IS DOING. THEY PLACED THAT PERSON INTO SACRAMENTO. I DON'T LOVE THAT. I REALLY, REALLY LIKE MOST OF THEIR ANSWERS ABOUT HOW THEY ADJUST TO EVERYTHING ELSE. I AM JUST KIND OF NERVOUS ABOUT HOW THEY VET AND QUALIFIED INDIVIDUALS. IT DOES SEEM LIKE THEY ARE GOING TO GO DEEP FOR LESS EXPERIENCED PEOPLE, WHICH I THINK CAN BE HELPFUL HERE.

WHEN WE ASKED ABOUT WHAT THEY KNOW ABOUT SEBASTOPOL, THERE WASN'T ANYTHING CURRENT THAT THEY SAID. SHE KEPT REFERRING BACK TO WHAT SHE KNEW FROM 15 OR HOWEVER MANY YEARS AGO IT WAS

AND TALKED ABOUT HOW WE HAVE SUCH A LONG-STANDING EMPLOYEES WHEN, IN FACT, WE HAD QUITE A BIT OF TURNOVER. I FELT LIKE SHE DIDN'T DO THE RESEARCH ON WHAT WE ARE TODAY. 15, 17 YEARS AGO, WHATEVER THAT WAS. THAT STOOD OUT TO ME RIGHT AWAY. IF YOU ARE GOING TO TALK TO A CITY ABOUT SOMETHING, I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW WHAT IS HAPPENING TODAY NOT TWO DECADES AGO. THAT IS JUST A THOUGHT I HAD WHEN I WAS LISTENING.

THEY HAD AN OFFICE IN SACRAMENTO.

TO ME, THEY SEEM TO HAVE A LOT OF KNOWLEDGE, A LOT OF EXPERIENCE. THEY KNOW WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT. LET'S SEE, WHERE WERE THE RED FLAGS? I DIDN'T HAVE ANY REAL RED FLAGS EXCEPT THERE

WERE TWO PLACES WHERE SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT, SHE KNEW THAT SOMEBODY WAS RIGHT FOR THAT PLACE AND THAT SHE WANTED THEM TO INTERVIEW. IT WAS KIND OF LIKE THE COUNCIL SHOULD TRUST HER. TO ME, THAT IS NOT QUITE A RED FLAG, BUT IT WAS SORT OF THE FLAG. THERE WAS ANOTHER PLACE WHERE SHE WAS SAYING, I DON'T LET US GET TO THAT STAGE IF I AM NOT CONFIDENT. I DON'T WANT TO GET INTO ANOTHER SITUATION WHERE WE HAVE SOMEBODY LIKE DON.

WE JUST NEED TO AVOID ANY CONVERSATION ABOUT PERSONNEL BECAUSE IT IS A PUBLIC MEETING.

ERASE THAT. I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE THE DECISION-MAKERS. THAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO ME. I DON'T WANT TO FEEL LIKE WE ARE WORKING WITH SOMEONE WHO KNOWS BETTER THAN WE DO. I HOPE THAT IS CLEAR. OTHERWISE I THINK THEY WERE KNOWLEDGEABLE. I KIND OF LIKED THEIR DESCRIPTION. I SPENT THE WEEKEND AT THE ART TRAILS AND WENT TO A LOT OF DIFFERENT PLACES AND IT WAS JUST AMAZING. THAT IS TOP OF MIND, HOW SPECIAL OUR AREA IS HERE. I DID WONDER, THEY SAID THAT THEY THOUGHT, THEY HAD A GOAL OF 25 TO 30 APPLICANTS. CONSIDERING OUR PREVIOUS PROCESS, I DID NOT THINK THAT WAS REALISTIC AT ALL. BUT I DID LIKE THAT SHE SAID THEY WOULD STAY OPEN UNTIL FILLED. YEAH, I GUESS THAT IS IT.

I DO AGREE WITH THE VICE MAYOR IN THE FACT THAT THE START WAS NOT UPDATED BASED UPON WHERE WE ARE. ALSO, IT SOUNDED NEGATIVE. THE FACT THAT THE CITY IS ALWAYS FACING BUDGETARY ISSUES, NOT GREAT.

OUR BUDGET COMMITTEE DID A FABULOUS JOB. WE ARE NOT AS BAD AS A LOT OF OTHER CITIES. THAT IS A SELLING POINT THAT DID NOT COME ACROSS. IT ACTUALLY CAME ACROSS AS DISMISSIVE. NOT A FAN OF THAT.

ALSO, QUESTIONS LIKE I NEED TO CHECK. NOW IS YOUR TIME. IF YOU NEED TO CHECK, NOW WOULD BE YOUR TIME. I DID PICK UP ON TWO THINGS THAT WERE STATED IN RESTAURANTS TO TWO QUESTIONS. TO THE MAYOR, YES, YOU SHOULD JUST DO THIS INTERVIEW. ANOTHER PLACE WHERE, WHAT I INTERPRETED WAS, YOU City Council Meeting Packet of: October 21, 2025

NEED TO DO THIS. I AM NOT A FAN OF THE WORD SHOULD. OTHER COMMENTS, I DID LIKE THE FACT THAT, WHAT I LEARNED IS THE FACT THAT WE SHOULD DO VIDEOS OF WHAT IT IS THAT WE LOVE ABOUT THIS CITY. I

AM NOT A FAN AT ALL OF THE QUESTION, WOULD -- WITH OTHER CITIES HIRING AT THE SAME TIME, HOW WOULD YOU CONVINCE CANDIDATES TO CHOOSE SEBASTOPOL? THERE WAS AN EXHALE THERE. SHE SAID SOME

CITIES CONVEY THE FACT THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF ATTRIBUTES AND YOU SHOULD JUST TAKE A SMALLER SALARY AS A RESULT. THAT IS JUST NOT REASONABLE. OKAY, THAT IS NOT WHAT I AM LOOKING FOR. I AM LOOKING FOR SOMEBODY WHO CAN APPRECIATE WHAT WE OFFER. THAT FACT MAY BE A REASON WHY THEY TAKE A SMALLER SALARY THAN WHATEVER SACRAMENTO IS DOING. ALSO, YES, IN REFERENCE TO NUMBER SIX, CITY MANAGER IS BASICALLY MID-MANAGEMENT, MANAGING UP TO CITY COUNCIL AND DOWN TO THE STAFF. NOT THRILLED ABOUT THE IDEA THAT I OR ANY ELECTED OFFICIAL IS BEING MANAGED. THERE WERE A COUPLE OF OTHER NOES.

I DO LIKE THE FACT THAT THEY ARE A GOVERNMENT AGENCY. IT JUST SEEMED IT WAS A GOVERNMENT AGENCY STANDARD THING THAT WAS SAID. I DIDN'T SEE ANY ENTHUSIASM, ANYTHING NEW THAT I WOULD WANT TO LOOK FOR IN THE FIRM THAT IS RECOMMENDING OUR NEXT CITY MANAGER. I WILL LEAVE IT AT THAT BECAUSE I KNOW I HAVE ONE MINUTE OF TIME.

I WAS JUST GOING TO SAY, I AGREE WITH YOU. I FOUND SOME QUESTIONS TO BE ADEQUATELY ANSWERED, BUT

THERE WASN'T ANYTHING HERE THAT INSPIRED ME TO THINK THAT PERHAPS THEY WOULD REPRESENT US IN A WAY THAT I WOULD LIKE TO BE REPRESENTED WHEN WE ARE LOOKING FOR A NEW CANDIDATE. I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT. I KNOW I CAME OUT WITH MY FIRST THOUGHTS ABOUT NOT DOING THE RESEARCH. I WANTED TO AGREE WITH YOU, MAYOR. THINGS WERE ADEQUATE, BUT NOT INSPIRING IN MY OPINION WITH THE ANSWERS.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS FOR MY COLLEAGUES?
YES. ONE THING I DID LIKE IS THAT SHE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT WE WOULD PROBABLY WANT SOMEONE WHO LIVES HERE IN TOWN. THAT IS TRUE FOR ME. I APPRECIATED THAT. I ALSO AGREE ABOUT THE POINT ABOUT THE BUDGET. SHE MADE IT SOUND LIKE WE WERE DEALING WITH BUDGET ISSUES. WE HAVE DONE A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF WORK IN TURNING OUR BUDGET AROUND. IT IS SOMETHING THAT I FEEL REALLY GOOD ABOUT.

THAT WAS NOT KNOWN. IT WASN'T ACKNOWLEDGED. THAT DIDN'T FEEL GOOD. AND THEN THE OTHER THING WAS AM A IT IS WHAT I HAD SAID EARLIER. HER POINT WAS THAT THE CITY MANAGER COULD WORK FOR FIVE YEARS. HE COULD ACCOMPLISH THINGS. THE WAY I SEE IT IS IF THE CITY MANAGER IS CARRYING OUT WHAT THE COUNCIL WANTS TO DO. IF THAT CITY MANAGER IS ACCOMPLISHING WHAT THE COUNCIL WANTS, NOT WHAT THE CITY MANAGER WANTS. I FEEL REALLY STRONGLY ABOUT THAT TOO I DIDN'T LIKE THAT PART.

I FEEL LIKE THE CITY MANAGER PHILOSOPHY IS DIFFERENT THAN OUR PERSPECTIVE. THE VICE MAYOR MENTIONED A LACK OF INSPIRATION FOR WHAT IS GOING ON. I FELT THAT, TOO. THAT IS WHAT YOU GET WITH A GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION.

AGREED. DO WE ALL FEEL HEARD ON THIS TOPIC? I JUST WANT TO CHECK. AGAIN, THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT DECISION. EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE ANOTHER RECRUITING FIRM OUT THERE I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE WE ARE ALL OKAY. I DON'T WANT ANYBODY FEELING LIKE THEY DID NOT GET THEIR WORD IN. I GUESS WE ARE READY FOR THE NEXT?

IF YOU WANT TO GET THE NEXT GROUP IN, WHILE YOU ARE OUT THERE, MAKE SURE THAT THE THIRD GROUP ISN'T THERE.

THE ROOM WAS VERY EMPTY EXCEPT FOR THE SECOND GROUP ARE COI JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE. WE ARE HERE RIGHT NOW AT THIS TIME.

THANK YOU FOR PREPARING THESE QUESTIONS. IT FELT SO COMPREHENSIVE THAT I DID NOT HAVE ANY EXTRA QUESTIONS.

ARE WE STILL BEING RECORDED?
WE ARE.

HELLO.

COME ON IN.

HELLO.

HELLO.

City Council Meeting Packet of: October 21, 2025

PLEASURE.

NICE TO MEET YOU.

STEPHEN ZOLLMAN.

YOU CAN SHAKE HER HAND, TOO.

HELLO, VICE MAYOR.

YOU CAN SIT OVER HERE AND WE WILL GET STARTED. EXCUSE ME.

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY, EVERYBODY. THE PROCESS FOR OUR PROCESS TODAY IS WE WILL GIVE YOU UP TO 10 MINUTES TO GIVE A LITTLE PRESENTATION ABOUT YOUR FIRM AND WHAT YOU HAVE TO OFFER THE CITY IN ITS RECRUITMENT PROCESS. THEN WE HAVE A TOTAL OF 22 QUESTIONS THAT WE WILL GO THROUGH AND ROTATE AMONGST THE COUNCILMEMBERS. THEY WILL ASK YOU AND YOU HAVE ALMOST UP TO TWO MINUTES PER QUESTION. WE DO HAVE A 40 MINUTE INTERVIEW LIMIT ON THE TIME. SO UP TO 10 MINUTES FOR YOUR PRESENTATION, 40 MINUTES FOR THE QUESTIONS, AND IN YOUR PORTION OF THIS PROCESS WILL BE COMPLETE. WE WILL DO ANY DELIBERATIONS AND SEE IF ANYONE HAS JOINED US. I WILL TURN IT OVER TO YOU TO GET US STARTED.

FIRST OF ALL, APOLOGIES. I CANNOT SHAKE THIS TWO-WEEK COLD. NOT THAT I AM HAVING SYMPTOMS ANYMORE, BUT I MAY SOUND A LITTLE STUFFY. WE WILL SEE IF RECRUITERS MAKE AS GOOD INTERVIEWEES AS INTERVIEWERS. IT IS A PLEASURE TO BE WITH YOU TODAY. I AM LEVI KUHLMAN , A PART OF WENDI BROWN CONSULTING PARTNERS. I HAVE HAD THE PLEASURE OF SERVING MUNICIPALITIES LARGE AND SMALL FROM SAN DIEGO UP TO SEATTLE. FULL DISCLOSURE, I AM PERSONALLY BASED IN TYLER GUARD, OR DIDN'T. OUR CEO, WENDI BROWN, ORIGINATED IN THE COUNTY OF ORANGE. AFTER MOVING OUT TO OREGON FOR PERSONAL FAMILIAL REASONS, EVERYONE STARTED ASKING HER TO CALL RECRUITMENTS. IT WAS ABOUT FIVE YEARS AGO THAT WE WERE A STAFF OF 5 TO 6. IT HAS BEEN A LOT OF FUN SERVING OTHER ORGANIZATIONS FROM A POPULATION OF 300 TO A POPULATION OF WHO KNOWS HOW MANY. A LITTLE BIT ABOUT US, AS I MENTIONED, WE HAVE A STAFF TOTAL COUNT OF ABOUT 30 TO 40, INCLUDING FOUR EXECUTIVE RECRUITERS ON OUR TEAM.

WE HAVE FOUR COUNTY ADMINISTRATORS. WENDI WANTED TO BE HERE TODAY, BUT SHE IS 40,000 FEET UP IN THE AIR RIGHT NOW. WE ARE BASED IN ROGUE RIVER, OREGON. IT IS A SMALL COMMUNITY. THAT IS OUR MAIN OFFICE. WE HAVE OFFICES SPREAD OUT THROUGHOUT THE REGION FROM SANTA BARBARA OVER TO ROSEVILLE, SACRAMENTO, AND THEN FURTHER NORTH.

AND ROGUE RIVER IS JUST ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BORDER.

YES. THANK YOU. JUST OVER THE BORDER IN SOUTHERN OREGON. JUST PAST THE MEDFORD REGION. YOU WILL MISS IT IF YOU DRIVE BY, BECAUSE IT IS OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE MAJOR INTERSTATE. THAT IS A LITTLE BIT ABOUT US. WE HAVE A CENTRALIZED MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS TEAM. THAT IS ALL INTERNAL. EACH OF OUR RECRUITERS HAS A MANAGER IN A COUPLE OF ASSISTANCE. THAT IS A LITTLE BIT ABOUT US. I DIDN'T NEED THE FULL 10 MINUTES, SO I WILL USE THAT TIME ELSEWHERE.

WE WILL START, STEPHEN, WITH YOU, AND WE WILL MAKE OUR WAY THROUGH THE QUESTIONS.

QUESTION NUMBER ONE, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO GET TO KNOW THIS CITY OF SEBASTOPOL, OUR COMMUNITY, CULTURE, AND COMMUNITY VALUES AND PRIORITIES? WHAT HAVE YOU DISCOVERED AND NOW KNOW ABOUT THE CITY OF SEBASTOPOL, WHO WE ARE, AND WHO OUR MANAGER NEEDS TO BE? I HAVE DONE EXTENSIVE WORK WITH NEVADA, PETALUMA, OTHER CITIES NEAR YOU. DOING SOME RESEARCH

INTO THE ORGANIZATION, AS EXTERNAL AS I CAN, TRYING TO GET A FEEL FOR THE CULTURE BASED ON SOME PAST COUNCIL MEETINGS, IT SEEMS LIKE A COMMUNITY THAT ENJOYS THE SMALL TOWN CHARM. BUT THE NEED

FOR UPKEEP, WHETHER IT BE PUBLIC WORKS INFRASTRUCTURE, WORKING WITH HIGH INTENSITY HOUSING, SO THAT WOULD BE LAND USE. LOOKING AT SOME OF THOSE UPCOMING PRIORITIES, UPCOMING PROJECTS, THE

NEED FOR THAT INFRASTRUCTURE UPKEEP, THE CITY MAY FIND ITSELF IN A POSITION WHERE IT IS COMPETING WITH A LOT OF NEIGHBORING MUNICIPALITIES THAT ARE GOING TO BE LARGER IN SCALE. I AM HUGE ON INTERPERSONAL SKILLS, THOSE SOFT SKILLS, THOSE LEADERSHIP SKILLS. I AM A TRUE BELIEVER THAT IF WE CAN

HIT AS MANY OF THOSE TECHNICAL COMPETENCIES AS WE CAN WITH MANAGERS LISTENING TO COMMUNITY

MEETING DURING THE STAKEHOLDER PROCESS, YOUR NEEDS ON A ONE-ON-ONE BASIS OR EVEN AS A COUNCIL City Council Meeting Packet of: October 21, 2025

AND WEEDING OUT THOSE TECHNICAL SKILLS IN A CANDIDATE, HEARING WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR, BUT

ALSO MAKING SURE THAT OVERALL THEY HAVE THE LEADERSHIP STYLE YOU ARE LOOKING FOR WHETHER THAT

BE A SERVANT LEADERSHIP STYLE, TRANSFORMATION LEADERSHIP DEPENDING ON WHERE THE INTERNAL CULTURE LIES WITHIN AN ORGANIZATION, I AM REALLY HUGE ON THOSE INTERPERSONAL SKILL SETS. THOSE ARE

GOING TO BE THE TOP QUESTIONS THAT WE ASK CANDIDATES WHEN WE ARE SCREENING THEM TO MAKE SURE THAT IT IS A FIT. WE ARE MATCHMAKER IS. WE ENJOY THE WORK THAT WE DO. WE LOVE GETTING TO KNOW NEW CITIES, NEW ORGANIZATIONS. THOSE ARE GOING TO BE SOME GREAT MILESTONES DURING THE PROCESS.

NOT ONLY FOR CREATING AN INCLUSIVE PROCESS, WHETHER IT BE COMMUNITY SURVEYS, STAFF SURVEYS, BUT ALSO GETTING TO KNOW YOUR ORGANIZATION SO WE CAN BE A BETTER MATCHMAKER. WE CAN ADVOCATE ON YOUR BEHALF. WE ARE AN EXTENSION OF YOU DURING THIS PERIOD OF TIME. EACH INTERACTION, WE GET

MANY COMMUNITY EMAILS, COMMUNITY CALLS WHEN WE ARE GOING THROUGH A CITY MANAGER RECRUITMENT. RESPONDING TO THOSE IN A TIMELY MATTER IS WHAT YOU WOULD TYPICALLY LIKE. AND NOT HAVING THOSE CONSTITUENT EMAILS IGNORED OR HAVING THEM FORWARDED TO YOU. IT IS REALLY CREATING A PROCESS THAT IS INCLUSIVE, AS INCLUSIVE AS YOU WANT OR NEED IT TO BE. WHEN DRIVING DOWNTOWN YESTERDAY, MONTEREY IS A BEAUTIFUL CITY OF. IT DOES SEEM LIKE A REALLY GREAT ORGANIZATION. BASED ON

REVIEWING SOME OF THE PAST COUNCIL MEETINGS, THE COMMUNITY NETWORK WANTS TO KEEP THE SMALL TOWN CHARM WHILE TACKLING SOME OF THE MORE IMPORTANT ISSUES THAT WE ARE FACING NOWADAYS.

I WANT TO BREAK INTO IF EVERY QUESTION IS THAT COMPREHENSIVE, WE WON'T GET THROUGH THE MALL.

I WILL CUT THEM DOWN. THANK YOU.

HOW WOULD YOU SHARE WITH POTENTIAL CANDIDATES WHAT MAKES SEBASTOPOL A GREAT PLACE TO WORK?

HISTORICALLY WHAT WE LIKE TO DO IS TO HOST SOME STAKEHOLDER, DEPARTMENT HEAD MEETINGS AND GET A LOOK AT WHAT THE CULTURE IS LIKE WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION. IF APPLICANTS OR CANDIDATES HAVE QUESTIONS LIKE THAT, WE CAN ANSWER IN AN HONEST AND UPFRONT WAY.

HOW WOULD YOU BUILD A PICTURE OF THE IDEAL CANDIDATE FOR SEBASTOPOL? WHAT DOES THAT MEAN IN RELATION TO HOW YOU MARKET OR SELECT CANDIDATES?
EACH ONE OF OUR RECRUITMENTS IS CUSTOMIZED FOR THE ORGANIZATION. THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF JOB BOARDS OUT THERE THAT DON'T NECESSARILY DELIVER A RETURN ON THE INVESTMENT. WE KEEP IN MIND THAT FISCALLY, WANT TO BE GOOD STEWARDS OF PUBLIC DOLLARS. WE WILL NOT POST TO SITES WHERE WE HAVE NOT SEEN HISTORICALLY A RETURN ON INVESTMENT AND ACTUAL APPLICATIONS OFF OF IT. THAT IS THE MARKETING PIECE. THERE MAY BE A QUESTION FURTHER DOWN THE LINE WHERE I CAN GET MORE SPECIFIC.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE PROFILE IS THE TIME WE SPENT TOGETHER LISTENING TO SOME OF THE COMMUNITY

CONCERNS, THE NEEDS OF THE ORGANIZATION, WHETHER OR NOT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR SOMEBODY WITH A

PUBLIC WORKS BACKGROUND, DUCKING FOR SOMEBODY WITH THE LAND USE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, FINANCE, HR, REALLY GETTING A FEEL FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION'S NEEDS. YOU MAY HAVE STRONG

DEPARTMENT HEADS IN PLACE RIGHT NOW AND ARE THINKING THAT A CITY MANAGER MAY NOT NEED AS MUCH PUBLIC WORKS, BECAUSE WE HAVE A GREAT CITY ENGINEER OR A GREAT PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR. ALSO LISTENING TO THE FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMUNITY, WHAT MAKES THIS A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE? AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE ARE MARKETING YOU AS AN EMPLOYER CHOICE. WE WANT TO GET SOMEBODY EXCITED ABOUT COMING TO SERVE THIS COMMUNITY AND WANTING TO COME AND SERVE THIS COUNCIL.

ALL RIGHT. SOME OF THAT, SOME OF THIS QUESTION MIGHT HAVE BEEN IN YOUR ANSWER. HOW DO YOU BUILD CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT IN THIS PROCESS? WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE FOR YOU? I HAVE HOSTED COMMUNITY FORMS IN THE PAST. THEY RANGE FROM ONE OR TWO FOLKS OR COMMUNITY MEMBERS JOINING FOR THE EVENT TO A COUPLE HUNDRED. HAVING THAT STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT,

HAVING THAT INCLUSIVE PROCESS TO WHERE THE COMMUNITY FEELS LIKE THEY HAVE HAD A SAY IN THE

PROCESS, OTHER THAT BE A SURVEY, A COMMUNITY FORUM, AND PUTTING THAT INTO MORE OF AN EXECUTIVE

SURVEY TO GIVE TO YOU ALL, SO YOU ARE AWARE THAT THIS IS SOME OF THE FEEDBACK THAT WE HAVE RECEIVED. MOST OF THE TIME, IT IS NOT GOING TO BE ANYTHING THAT WE HAVEN'T ALREADY HEARD OR KNOW OF. IT IS A GREAT WAY TO GET THAT BUY-IN FROM THE COMMUNITY THAT THEY HAD A SAY IN THE PROCESS.

City Council Meeting Packet of: October 21, 2025

AFTER THAT SURVEY, AFTER THAT INITIAL INFORMATION IS GIVEN TO YOU, WE CAN MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO THE

MARKETING MATERIAL, WHETHER THAT BE THE BROCHURE, AND MAKE THOSE ADJUSTMENTS WITH NEW INFORMATION THAT WE THINK WOULD BE ADVANTAGEOUS FOR US TO INCLUDE. FOR THE FINAL IN-PERSON INTERVIEW, WE HAVE AN OPEN COMMUNITY MEETING. WE PROVIDE BREAKFAST, COFFEE, SNACKS IN THE MORNING FOR THE COMMUNITY TO COME. ANYBODY WHO WISHES TO PARTICIPATE COULD AND CAN GET A

FEEL AND GET TO KNOW THE THREE FINAL CANDIDATES ARE CO-I KNOW THERE CAN BE SOME QUESTION MARKS BEHIND THAT. IN THIS CASE, THE LAST CITY MANAGER RECRUITMENT I JUST FINISHED UP, THAT WAS THE DIRECTION THE COUNCIL WANTED TO GO WITH IT. WE HAVE HAD NOTHING BUT GREAT FEEDBACK. WE HAD A LITTLE QR CODE THERE AND ALSO SOME PAPER NOTES THE COMMUNITIES COULD SUBMIT. I PUT IT INTO A FORMAT THAT WAS LEGIBLE FOR THE COUNCIL AND THE COUNCIL REVIEWED IT DURING LUNCH.

OKAY. WITH OTHER CITIES LOOKING AT THE SAME TIME, SOME LARGER AND OFFERING HIGHER SALARIES, HOW

WOULD YOU CONVINCE CANDIDATES
TO CHOOSE SEBASTOPOL?
I THINK THAT IS SOMETHING WE WILL BE BETTER AT THAN A LOT OF PEOPLE YOU WILL BE TALKING TODAY. OUR BROCHURES DON'T LOOK THE SAME FOR EVERY SINGLE RECRUITMENT. THEY ARE GOING TO BE CUSTOMIZED.

WE WANT YOUR COMMUNITY PHOTOS. WE WANT YOUR PARADES, YOUR EVENTS. THAT IS GOING TO BE THE INFORMATION WE INCLUDE, WE WILL HAVE THAT IN THE MARKETING MATERIAL. WITH YOUR APPROVAL, OF COURSE, IF THAT IS THE DIRECTION YOU WANT TO GO. EACH OF OUR BROCHURES ARE GOING TO BE CUSTOMIZED BASED ON THE COMMUNITY. YOUR CALLERS. THERE WAS TIME SPENT, MONEY SPENT TO FIGURE OUT WHERE YOUR LOGO IS GOING TO BE, WHAT THE LOGO OF THE CITY IS. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT IS ALL REPRESENTED.

HOW DO YOU ASSESS A CANDIDATE INVOLVING DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION, AND BELONGING, WHETHER OR NOT A CANDIDATE DISPLAYS CULTURAL AWARENESS? I HEAR DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION ALL THE TIME. I LIKE THE FACT THAT YOU INCLUDED BELONGING.

YOU CAN BE AS INCLUSIVE AS YOU WOULD LIKE. YOU CAN HAVE AN ORGANIZATION THAT IS AS DIVERSE AS YOU WOULD LIKE. AT THE END OF THE DAY, THE STAFF NEEDS THAT BELONGING ASPECTS. IF THAT IS NOT THERE, IT CAN CREATE CULTURAL CHALLENGES. WE DO ASK QUESTIONS THAT REALLY GET DOWN TO OR MAYBE JUST QUITE FRANK WITH THE CANDIDATES. I DO ASSESS CITY MANAGER RECRUITMENTS OVER ZOOM SO I CAN GET

AN IDEA OF HOW THEY ARE PRESENTING THEMSELVES AND WHAT THEIR COMMUNICATION STYLE IS REALLY LIKE. AT THE POINT BEFORE THE SHORT LIST WHERE WE ARE ASSESSING THE CANDIDATES AT THAT POINT AM A WE DON'T DO ANY REFERENCES OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT OR ANY BACKGROUND SEARCHES. WE DO GOOGLE SEARCHES, AS WELL, JUST FOR MORE INFORMATIVE PURPOSES. WE WILL BE ASKING QUESTIONS THAT ARE MORE BEHAVIOR BASED DURING THE PROCESS. INSTEAD OF HYPOTHETICAL QUESTIONS, WHICH I WOULD HOPE

ANYBODY MAKING IT TO THAT POINT IN THE PROCESS COULD ANSWER A HYPOTHETICAL QUESTION RELATIVELY PROFESSIONALLY, WE WANT TO GET AN IDEA OF WHEN THEY HAVE DONE X, Y, OR Z. WHEN HAVE YOU CREATED A CULTURE OF INCLUSIVITY AND BELONGING IN AN ORGANIZATION? NOT WHAT WOULD YOU DO. IT IS GOOD TO SEE WHAT THEIR THOUGHT PROCESS IS LIKE, WE WANT TO GET AN IDEA OF WHAT THEY HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO.

MAY I ASK A CLARIFYING QUESTION VERY QUICKLY? WHAT DOES THAT MEAN WHEN U.S.S. OVER ZOOM ? DOES THAT MEAN YOU DON'T MEET WITH PEOPLE IN PERSON?
THIS IS JUST IN THE INITIAL STAGE AFTER THE PAPER REVIEW. AND SO YES, DURING THE PROCESS, I WOULD RECOMMEND WE HAVE A VIRTUAL SETTING. IT IS MORE AFFORDABLE. IF THAT IS THE DIRECTION THE COUNCIL WANTS TO GO. THEN WE HAVE AN IN PERSON ENVIRONMENT WITH THE FINALISTS.

THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO ASK THAT. THANK YOU.

HOW DO YOU ASSESS THE ABILITY OF THE CANDIDATE TO PROVIDE EMOTIONAL SAFETY IN INTERACTIONS AT ALL LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT?

I THINK CREATING AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE PEOPLE ARE NOT ONLY ENCOURAGED TO COME TO WORK, BUT

CREATING A FOCUS ON MENTAL HEALTH AS WELL, THAT WORK LIFE BALANCE, WHAT I HAVE SEEN IN OTHER

ORGANIZATIONS IS REALLY UNDERSTANDING THE IMPORTANCE OF THE WORK THAT YOU DO, BUT WITHOUT City Council Meeting Packet of: October 21, 2025

TAKING YOURSELF TOO TERRIBLY SERIOUSLY AT THE END OF THE DAY. I COULD BE COMPLETELY OFF-BASE, BUT I

HAVE FOUND THAT FOLKS THAT DON'T TAKE THEMSELVES TOO SERIOUSLY UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT WORK THAT WE DO. THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT WORK THAT YOU DO. BUT LET'S HAVE FUN WHILE WE ARE DOING IT. LET'S SHOW UP WITH A SMILE ON OUR FACE. EVEN IN TOUGH SITUATIONS, LET'S LEAVE WITH A SMILE ON OUR FACE. WE WILL ASK QUESTIONS SIMILAR TO THAT TO TRY TO ROOT OUT SOME OF THOSE

EXPERIENCES THAT SOME BUT HE HAS HAD ENTERING INTO AN ORGANIZATION AND BEING THAT CHANGE AGENT OR CONTINUING THAT ORGANIZATION'S TRAJECTORY.

VICE MAYOR?
APOLOGIES. HOW DO YOU ASSESS THE CONFLICT RESOLUTION STYLE OF THE CANDIDATE IN RELATION TO THAT OF CITY AND COUNCIL CULTURE?
THAT IS A VERY LARGE QUESTION. THE AVERAGE FOR A CITY MANAGER RIGHT NOW IN CALIFORNIA IS ABOUT THREE YEARS. ALSO NATIONALLY. THAT IS A GREAT QUESTION TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THE TYPE OF STYLE THAT YOU HAVE WORKED WITH HISTORICALLY, WHAT IS YOUR COMMUNICATION STYLE? DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT SOMETIMES PUBLIC SERVICE IS A 24/7 THING? SO WE MAKE SURE THEY COME PREPARED WITH YOUR NEEDS. WE

RELAY YOUR NEEDS HAVE THE BEST OF OUR ABILITIES AND HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS WITH THE CANDIDATES AHEAD OF TIME. THAT WAY, YOU ARE BEING PRESENTED WITH CANDIDATES THAT MATCH YOUR COMMUNICATION STYLE, THAT MATCH YOUR CULTURE. OVERALL, WE HAVE DONE OUR JOB OF BEING THOSE MATCHMAKER'S. IT IS DIFFERENT FOR EVERYBODY. EVERYBODY HAS A DIFFERENT COMMUNICATION STYLE.

SEEING HOW THEY HAVE CUSTOMIZED THEIR COMMUNICATION STYLE AND BEING THAT LIAISON BETWEEN THE COMMUNITY AND THE CITY COUNCIL, AND THE STAFF, IT IS A LOT TO JUGGLE AT A GIVEN TIME. TRYING TO GET

IDEAS FROM THOSE APPLICANTS, FROM THOSE CANDIDATES AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PROCESS WHEN THEY

HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY EITHER CHANGE COUNCIL CULTURE IF NEEDED OR HAVE BEEN ABLE TO

BUILD RELATIONSHIPS THAT HAVEN'T BEEN THERE PREVIOUSLY, WHETHER IT BE WITH STAFF, WHETHER IT BE

BUILDING BACK COMMUNITY TRUST OR WORKING WITH COUNCILS THAT MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE HAD A PLEASURABLE EXPERIENCE WITH PREVIOUS CITY MANAGEMENT.

THE CITY MANAGER IS REALLY A 24 HOUR A DAY COMMITMENT DURING THE FIRST YEAR AS THE NEW MANAGER LEARNS THE ROPES AND GROWS RELATIONSHIPS. HOW WOULD YOU TALK ABOUT THE ADVANTAGES OF

WORKING FOR A SMALL CITY, LIKE STRONG CONNECTIONS, A MORE COLLABORATIVE CONNECTION, AND QUALITY OF LIFE HERE?
WANT TO BE UP FRONT AND FRANK WITH THEM AND SEE WHERE THEY HAVE BEEN HISTORICALLY. IF THEY HAVE BEEN FOCUSED FROM LARGER CITIES, WE WANT TO HEAR FROM THEM WHY. WHY ARE YOU INTERESTED IN

MOVING TO A SMALLER COMMUNITY, MAKING SURE THEY ARE INTERESTED IN LIVING NEAR THE COMMUNITY OR IN THE COMMUNITY. IT CAN GO A LONG WAY WITH ONLY A FEW GROCERY STORES. WE WANT THE CITY MANAGER TO BE INVOLVED IN THE COMMUNITY, WITH EVENT SPACE OR DAY-TO-DAY SHOPPING. I HOPE THAT THAT ANSWERED YOUR QUESTION. WE DO ASSESS CANDIDATES ON, LIKE I MENTIONED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE INTERVIEW, ON A TECHNICAL LEVEL TO MAKE SURE THEY HAVE AN IDEA OF WHAT THEY ARE DOING. WE WANT TO HEAR WHY THEY ARE INTERESTED IN THE ROLE. THOSE INTERPERSONAL SKILLS, THOSE SOFT SKILLS, THE LEADERSHIP STYLE. LEADERSHIP STYLES CAN VARY FROM PERSON TO PERSON.

HOW MANY SUCCESSFUL CITY MANAGERS HAVE YOU PLACED IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS?
FIVE YEARS, NUMBERS-WISE, I WOULD HAVE TO LOOK. THAT MAY BE A GOOD THING, MAYBE A BAD THING. I

WOULD SAY IN THE BALLPARK IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS, I CAN VERIFY THIS AS WELL AND SEND YOU A LIST AFTERWARDS. I WOULD SAY ROUGHLY 20 TO 30. REAL QUICK, IF I MAY, THOSE WERE NOT ALL MINE. FULL DISCLOSURE. THOSE WILL BE ORGANIZATIONALLY.

HOW DO YOU MANAGE ANY NEGATIVE PRESS ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION?

WE ARE NOT GOING TO BE MAKING ANY SORT OF PRESS RELEASES OR ANY INFORMATION ON YOUR BEHALF WITHOUT YOUR EXPLICIT APPROVAL. IT IS NOT NECESSARILY OUR JOB TO MAKE THOSE COMMENTS ON YOUR BEHALF. I WILL SAY WE HAVE RECEIVED CALLS. TYPICALLY, WE KEEP IT SURFACE LEVEL DEPENDING ON THE LEVEL City Council Meeting Packet of: October 21, 2025

OF QUESTIONING. IF IT IS GETTING TO THE POINT WHERE THERE ARE SOME QUESTIONS RISING, THERE IS SOME FISHING GOING ON, WE TYPICALLY DON'T RESPOND TO THAT, IF THAT MAKES SENSE. I DON'T WANT TO PUT YOU IN A POSITION OF SAYING THE WRONG THING WITHOUT YOUR APPROVAL. BUT WE DO ENGAGE WITH THEM, DEFINITELY, FROM TIME TO TIME. WE FEEL PRESS COVERAGE IS NEEDED AND IN OREGON SPECIFICALLY, PRESS ARE INVOLVED IN CLOSED SESSION, OR EXECUTIVE SESSION. THAT IS NOT THE CASE HERE. WORKING WITH THE PRESS IS PART OF THE PROCESS.

OKAY. HAVE YOU RECRUITED FOR CITY WHERE THE INCUMBENT WAS IN THE SEAT FOR LESS THAN 18 MONTHS? DID THAT IMPACT YOUR RECRUITMENT STRATEGY AT ALL AND HOW? YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. IT DOES HAPPEN WHERE WE HAVE A GUARANTEE AND WE HAVE A 24 MONTH GUARANTEE TYPICALLY. IF THEY LEAVE WITHIN THOSE 24 MONTHS, WE WILL BE REDOING THAT RECRUITMENT. THAT LOOKS A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN I THINK IS YOUR QUESTION SPECIFICALLY. BUT WE WANT TO FIGURE OUT WHAT

WORKS PREVIOUSLY OR DIDN'T WORK PREVIOUSLY SO WE CAN LEARN FROM ANY MISTAKES THAT MAY HAVE

HAPPENED WHETHER IT BE IN THE ACTUAL RECRUITMENT PROCESS, IN THE SELECTION PROCESS, OR EVEN THE TYPE OF PERSON YOU ARE LOOKING FOR. EACH ORGANIZATION WORKS IN A DIFFERENT WAY, AS WELL. I HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH AN ORGANIZATION THAT IS GROWING EXPONENTIALLY. THEY ARE REALLY FLYING THE PLANE AS THEY ARE BUILDING IT. THEY HAD AN IDEA OF WHAT THEIR IDEAL CANDIDATE WAS AT THE END OF THE PROCESS. THEY EVEN ADMIT IT THAT WE DID NOT BRING A FANTASTIC CANDIDATE. AFTER MEETING WITH THE CANDIDATES, THEY REALIZED THAT WE WOULD NEED TO FOCUS MORE IN A CERTAIN WAY. AND WE HAVE TO

CUSTOMIZE OUR RECRUITMENT PROCESS TO THE NEEDS OF THE ORGANIZATION AND WHERE IT FINDS ITSELF AT THAT GIVEN TIME. IT MAY CHANGE ON A DAILY BASIS. IT MAY CHANGE ON A MONTH-TO-MONTH BASIS. WE WILL CATER OUR PROCESS TO THE NEEDS OF THE ORGANIZATION.

HOW OFTEN WILL YOU BE ON SITE DURING THE PROCESS? HOW WILL STAFF AND COUNCIL PARTICIPATE IN THE PROCESS? BASICALLY, WHAT YOU NEED FROM US? HOW WOULD THAT BE INCORPORATED? THERE ARE A LOT OF DIRECTIONS WE CAN GO WITH THE PROCESS. YOU CAN APPOINT A SELECTION COMMITTEE

TO HAVE TWO MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL WALK THROUGH THE PROCESS WITH US UP UNTIL THE SHORT LIST,

OR WHERE THE SEVEN OR SO CANDIDATES ARE BROUGHT FORWARD TO THE FIRST ROUND OF VIRTUAL INTERVIEWS. I HAVE PERSONALLY A PREFERENCE IN INVOLVING THE COUNCIL IF THEY WISH IN THE ENTIRE PROCESS. I KNOW HEADACHES CAN BE CREATED ON SCHEDULING, ESPECIALLY WORKING WITH A WORKING COUNCIL. THAT IS WHY I LIKE TO MEET ON WEEKENDS AS WELL, BECAUSE IT CAN BE EASIER ON YOUR SCHEDULE.

I LIKE TO BE IN PERSON FOR 3 OUT OF 4 MEETINGS. WHETHER IT BE HOSTING A COMMUNITY FORUM, THE

SHORTLIST MEETING WHERE WE ARE COMING AND PRESENTING ALL OF THE QUALIFIED CANDIDATES IN CONVERSATIONS THAT WE HAD SO YOU ARE NOT GETTING JUST THE TOP FIVE, BUT ALSO THE OTHER FOLKS. YOU WILL KNOW INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR COMMUNITY THAT WE MAY NOT KNOW. SO BRINGING MORE FORWARD HAS ALWAYS BEEN A PREFERENCE OF OURS. YOU WILL BE INVOLVED IN THAT SHORT LIST IF YOU WISH. THAT SHORTLIST MEETING NARROWS IT DOWN TO THOSE SELECTED CANDIDATES FOR THE FIRST ROUND OF INTERVIEWS. WE WOULD HAVE IDEALLY A PANEL MIXED WITH EXTERNAL SMES TO VERIFY THAT THESE CANDIDATES KNOW WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT. WE HAVE HAD ADVOCACY GROUPS IN THE PAST PARTICIPATE. WE CAN ELECT ONE PERSON TO PARTICIPATE IN THE INTERVIEW PROCESS. WE DO LIKE TO GET MANY DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES IN THE INITIAL INTERVIEW PROCESS BECAUSE IT GIVES YOU A 360 PERSPECTIVE AND MANY DIFFERENT VOICES AND THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS AND QUALIFICATIONS. FOR THE FINAL IN PERSON INTERVIEW, I WOULD RECOMMEND A COUNCIL MEETING. IT WOULD BE 3 TO 4 MEETINGS THAT ARE IN PERSON. I WOULD LIKE TO BE HERE FOR THE MALL. IF IT IS IN PERSON OR VIRTUAL, THAT IS TOTALLY UP TO YOU.

HOW MANY CANDIDATES SHOULD WE EXPECT TO APPLY? WHAT HAPPENS IF THE FIRST ROUND OF CANDIDATES DOESN'T SEEM TO FIT THE NEEDS OF THE CITY?
I SEEM TO BE ANSWERING THE NEXT QUESTION EVERY SINGLE TIME. HISTORICALLY, I WOULD SAY OUR CITY MANAGER RECRUITMENTS, WE HAVE HAD 50 CANDIDATES APPLY AND WE HAVE HAD 300 CANDIDATES APPLY.

THAT HAS A LOT OF VARIABLES ASSOCIATED WITH IT LOCATION, SALARY RANGE, BENEFITS BEING OFFERED.

SURPRISINGLY, EVEN SUFFERANCE. THAT IS A HUGE CONVERSATION THAT A LOT OF CITY MANAGERS ARE City Council Meeting Packet of: October 21, 2025

INTERESTED IN HAVING. I WOULD SAY ANYWHERE FROM 50 TO 100 I WOULD EXPECT FOR THIS POSITION IN THIS LOCATION. FROM THERE, ABOUT SEVEN CANDIDATES ARE INTERVIEWED ON THE FIRST ROUND OF INTERVIEWS MAYBE WITH A COUPLE OF BACKUPS. THEN FROM THERE, ANYWHERE FROM 1 TO 3. AFTER THE FIRST ROUND OF INTERVIEWS, WHETHER IT BE VIRTUAL OR IN PERSON, IF YOU HAVE A CANDIDATE THAT IS FANTASTIC. THAT IS WHAT WE WANT TO HEAR. IF NOT, THAT IS OKAY, TOO. WE DON'T WANT YOU TO MAKE A DECISION THAT YOU DON'T WANT TO MAKE. WE DON'T WANT TO PUT YOU IN A CORNER AND SAY YOU HAVE TO MAKE THIS DECISION. WE STAND BEHIND OUR PLACEMENTS. I LIKE TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH CITY MANAGERS, WITH COUNCILMEMBERS FOR THE FUTURE. IF YOU DON'T HAVE A CANDIDATE AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE WILL REOPEN UP RECRUITMENT AT NO COST.

BECAUSE YOU ARE -- YOU ARE DOING SO GOOD AT PREDICTING THE NEXT ONE, IT IS BEAUTIFUL BECAUSE YOU ARE ADDRESSING SOME THINGS. IN ORDER FOR US TO GET THROUGH SOME THINGS, I FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE ALREADY ANSWERED THE QUESTION I AM ASSIGNED TO NEXT.

WHAT HAPPENS IF THE RECRUITMENT POOL FOR THE CITY IS TOO SMALL? WHAT IS TOO SMALL? AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT TAKES ONE PERSON TO FILL THE ROLE. IF WE HAVE A FANTASTIC CANDIDATE, I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND MOVING THEM FORWARD. I ALSO UNDERSTAND THE POSITION YOU MAY FIND YOURSELVES IN WITH ONLY HAVING ONE PERSON INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS. WHAT CONSTITUTES AS TOO SMALL? 20 OR LESS IS DEFINITELY REALLY SMALL IN MY OPINION. THAT WILL BE MORE RURAL ENGINEERS. I AM SURE FINDING SOME OF THEM CAN BE A CHALLENGE, AS IT IS THROUGHOUT CALIFORNIA. WHAT CONSTITUTES AS TOO SMALL, WE ARE NOT GOING TO BE PASSIVELY WORKING WITH THIS. WE ARE ACTIVELY ENGAGING WITH APPLICANTS, WHETHER THEY KNOW THEY ARE LOOKING OR NOT. WE USE AN A.I. PLATFORM THAT ALLOWS US TO CONNECT WITH FOLKS ON LINKEDIN THAT MAY NOT BE ACTIVELY SEARCHING. HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS WITH PEOPLE DO TEND TO GO A LONG WAY. HAVING THAT ONE-ON-ONE AND REALLY TALKING ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION, AS THAT GREATLY BENEFITS THE APPLICANT POOL. WE WILL EVALUATE IT ON A DAYTO-DAY BASIS. WE WILL GO IN THERE AND SEE THAT WE ARE NOT SEEING THE QUALITY OF WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR. HOW CAN WE MAKE ADJUSTMENTS? WHAT OTHER AREAS CAN WE TAP INTO? IS THERE A JOB BOARD THAT WE DECIDED NOT TO POST TO FOR FISCAL REASONS BUT WE ARE NOW SEEING THE NEED? WE CAN TAKE THAT STEP AND GO INTO A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT PLACES OR REACH OUT TO A WIDER AUDIENCE. WE WILL ASK THOSE QUESTIONS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PROCESS. WOULD YOU CONSIDER SOMEBODY FROM OUT OF STATE? THAT IS A HUGE QUESTION. CALIFORNIA IS DIFFERENT IN HOW IT DOES THINGS. HAVING SOMEBODY, YOU NEED SOMEBODY WHO UNDERSTANDS THAT? OR CAN THEY TAKE THAT FIRST YEAR OR SO, WORKING 24 SEVEN, AND LEARN THOSE AND LEARN HOW CALIFORNIA DOES THINGS? OKAY. HOW DO IDENTIFY AND PREPARE QUESTIONS FOR FINAL INTERVIEWS? ARE COUNCILMEMBERS ABLE TO SUBMIT QUESTIONS FOR FINAL INTERVIEWS?
ABSOLUTELY. IF THERE ARE ANY TOPICS YOU WANT TO ASK THE CANDIDATES, YOU CAN SEND US THOSE TOPICS

AND WE WILL PUT TOGETHER SOME INTERVIEW QUESTIONS AND THEN POST THE QUESTIONS, WHICH IS TYPICALLY 20 IN LENGTH SEPARATED FROM TECHNICAL TO INTERPERSONAL SKILLS. WE DO INCLUDE DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION QUESTIONS, AS WELL. WE ALSO INCLUDE A COUPLE OF THOUGHT-PROVOKING

QUESTIONS, WHICH IS GETTING THE IDEA OF HOW SOMEBODY RESPONDS TO A QUESTION GIVEN TIME TO PREPARE FOR IT. CITY MANAGERS SOMETIMES DON'T HAVE THE TIME TO PUT TOGETHER A SLIDESHOW OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. WITH ONLY A WEEK TO TWO WEEKS NOTICE, WE HAVE TAKEN AWAY THAT VISUAL REQUIREMENT. WE STILL SEE HOW SOMEBODY COMES PREPARED. WHAT TYPE OF RESEARCH DID THEY DO? HOW DO THEY RESPOND TO THAT QUESTION WHEN GIVEN TIME TO PREPARE FOR IT? HOPEFULLY THAT ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION INVOLVING QUESTIONS.

I THINK YOU MIGHT HAVE ANSWERED THIS, BUT I WILL REPEAT IT ANYWAY. WILL YOU SEE THE APPLICANTS FOR EVERYONE, ONLY THOSE YOU BRING TO THE INTERVIEW?
OUR SYSTEM IS FANTASTIC TO USE. YOU CAN BE IN THERE ON A DAILY BASIS IF YOU WISH, TAKING A LOOK AT WHAT THE APPLICANT POOL IS LOOKING LIKE. IF YOU WANT A TOTAL SPREADSHEET, WE CAN GIVE THAT TO YOU.

WE WILL NOT JUST BE RECOMMENDING THAT THESE ARE THE BEST FIVE MOVING FORWARD. I HAVE HAD City Council Meeting Packet of: October 21, 2025

MEETINGS THAT DO TAKE LONGER. WE HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT 30 OR SO INDIVIDUALS. THOSE ARE VERY LARGE MUNICIPALITIES. I AM NOT PREDICTING THAT THERE WILL BE 30 FOLKS ON THE SHORTLIST. BUT FOR THIS POSITION, WE WILL BE BRINGING 10 TO 15 PEOPLE FORWARD.

WE HAVE JUST UNDER 10 MINUTES AND FIVE QUESTIONS LEFT.

OKAY, WE ARE GOOD.

THE NEXT ONE IS NUMBER 18, IS THAT CORRECT? WHAT HAPPENS IF THE CITY GOES THROUGH THE PROCESS AND DOES NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE HIRING?
THEN WE WILL REEVALUATE WHERE WE ARE AT. IF WE NEED TO MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO THE MARKETING MATERIAL, WE WILL DO THAT. IF THERE ARE TIMING ISSUES SUCH AS NAVIGATING AROUND THE HOLIDAYS, WE CAN HAVE THAT CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT TIME IS NEEDED TO REOPEN. WE WANT TO GET IT TURNED AROUND VERY QUICKLY.

HOW REALISTIC IS YOUR TIME PROPOSAL? IF WE SELECT YOU TODAY, WHEN WILL THE TIMELINE START? WE COULD HAVE A KICKOFF MEETING SCHEDULED WITHIN TWO WEEKS. I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT IT HAVE THE ESSENCE OF AN OPEN SESSION, BUT ALSO THE ESSENCE OF A CLOSED SESSION TO ALLOW YOU TO BE FRANK.

IT IS A VERY REALISTIC TIMELINE. IT IS ABOUT A 12 WEEK PROCESS, THE INTERVIEW PROCESS. BOOTS ON THE GROUND NO LATER THAN FOUR MONTHS, I WOULD SAY. THERE ARE VARIABLES THAT GO INTO THAT. IF WE

STARTED TODAY IN OCTOBER, OPENED RECRUITMENTS IN TWO WEEKS, WE COULD HAVE THE FIRST ROUND OF

INTERVIEWS, WE CAN HAVE THEM ON THE FIRST WEEK OF JANUARY, TRYING TO NAVIGATE THE HOLIDAY SEASON. IF YOU NEED TO PUSH IT SOONER, WE CAN ACCOMMODATE THAT. HYPOTHETICALLY SPEAKING WITHOUT MY PROJECT MANAGER PRESENT.

IN THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS, DO YOU REACH OUT DIRECTLY TO THE PROSPECTIVE CANDIDATES? IF YES, WILL YOU DO THAT TO WHOEVER IS PLACED HERE AFTER ONE YEAR?
YES. ONE OF THE TOP THINGS IS BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS. IF A CITY MANAGER DOESN'T HAVE A GOOD

EXPERIENCE WITH US AND DOES NOT WANT TO APPLY THROUGH US, THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO REASON WHY

YOUR ORGANIZATION SHOULD PAY BECAUSE THEY LOST OUT ON SOMEBODY WHO DID NOT WANT TO WORK WITH US. WE TEACH EVERYBODY FROM RECEPTION TO OUR EXECUTIVES WITHIN OUR ORGANIZATION THAT WE SERVE PEOPLE WHO SERVE PEOPLE AT THE END OF THE DAY. WE WANT THOSE CANDIDATES TO HAVE GOOD EXPERIENCES. WE ARE CALLING THEM. WE WANT TO REPRESENT YOU, LIKE I SAID, AT THE END OF THE DAY AS AN ORGANIZATION. I LOST THE WORDS FOR IT. AN EMPLOYER'S TRUST.

REGARDING THE PROPOSED COSTS, DO YOU OFFER AN ASSESSMENT TOOL? WHAT DOES THAT COST? THERE ARE SO MANY DIFFERENT PERSONALITY ASSESSMENT TOOLS OUT THERE. WE HAVE AN ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGIST THAT CAN RANGE FROM $50-$100 PER ASSESSMENT.

HOW MANY CANDIDATES DO YOU EXPECT TO NEED FOR REIMBURSEMENT? IF YOU DON'T CONSIDER ANY OUT-OF-STATE APPLICANTS, I WOULD SAY ONCE A TWO MOST FOR ANY INPERSON INTERVIEWS. THAT IS IF THEY ARE VIRTUAL FOR THE FIRST INTERVIEWS AND NOT IN PERSON.

LAST QUESTION, WHAT OTHER QUESTION SHOULD WE ASK ABOUT YOUR SERVICES OR THIS PROCESS? I AM A HUGE WHY PERSON. I LOVE THE WORK THAT WE DO. FIVE YEARS AGO, IF YOU SAID I WOULD BE INVOLVED SITTING HERE, TALKING TO YOU ALL AND CITY COUNCILS, I WOULD HAVE PROBABLY LAUGHED. I WOULD HAVE SAID, I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT. I HAVE A FANTASTIC MENTOR WHO HAS BEEN IN THE BUSINESS FOR 30+ YEARS. HE HAS BEEN RECRUITING FOR 30+ YEARS. MY FIRST MONTH IN, I WAS READY. I SAID, GIVE ME MY FIRST RECRUIT. I WANT TO GET GOING ON IT. THEY WERE LIKE, CALM DOWN. YOU ARE NOT READY YET. IT WAS LEARNING THAT PATIENTS AND SEEING, FRANKLY, ONE OF MY FIRST ONES WITH HER WAS A CITY MANAGER RECRUITMENT. SEEING OUR 250 STEPS AND SEEING ALL THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT

THAT WENT INTO IT AND ALL THE CRITICAL THINKING THAT WENT INTO IT AND ADMITTING TO HER, YEAH, I AM NOT QUITE READY JUST YET. I THINK FOR ME, YOU REALLY GET A PARTNER WHO UNDERSTANDS ALSO FROM A COUNCIL PERSPECTIVE OF YOUR GOALS AND OBJECTIVES. YOU ARE GOING TO GET SOMEBODY WHO LOVES TO FORM RELATIONSHIPS, WHO LOVES TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS. MY LAST CITY MANAGER RECRUITMENT WAS THE CITY OF ICE CREAM AND CHEESE. LAST WEEK, I SAT IN WITH THE LEAGUE OF OREGON CITIES. IT IS ALWAYS City Council Meeting Packet of: October 21, 2025

ENCOURAGING TO BUILD THOSE RELATIONSHIPS AND HAVING FUN WHILE DOING IT. YOU WILL GET GREAT PROJECT MANAGERS. YOU WILL GET A PROCESS THAT HAS ALMOST A 100% SUCCESS RATE. THAT IS REALLY GOING TO BE ONE OF THE MORE IMPORTANT THINGS, AT LEAST FROM MY POINT OF VIEW, THE Y. I LOVE PUBLIC SERVICE. I LOVE COMMUNITY SERVICE. I DO HAVE A WEIRD PASSION FOR IT WITH THE LENGTH OF MY CAREER. IT MAY NOT BE AS COMMON AS YOU WOULD SEE, BUT THERE WAS A SPEAKER, OUR KEYNOTE SPEAKER. THERE WERE MAYBE 500 PEOPLE IN THE ROOM. THE MAYOR OF PORTLAND WAS SPEAKING. HE ASKED EVERYBODY TO RAISE THEIR HANDS. IT WAS FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION. THERE WERE ONLY FIVE OF US IN THE ROOM.

YOU WILL GET ENERGY. I WILL BE EAGER TO SERVE YOUR COMMUNITY. AND I DO MEAN SERVICE YOUR COMMUNITY. THAT IS ALL SAYING THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE WILL TYPICALLY SAY, MAYBE NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT IT WILL ACTUALLY TAKE AT THE END OF THE DAY.

IT IS ALL GOOD.

I HAD A CLARIFYING QUESTION, IF THAT IS OKAY. YOU SAID YOU HAD WONDERFUL MENTORS. I AM CURIOUS, HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN RECRUITING ON YOUR OWN?
A LITTLE OVER THREE YEARS. I HAVE PLACED ABOUT 200 OR SO POSITIONS AT EITHER CITY MANAGER TO DEPARTMENT LEVEL.

THANK YOU.

THAT CONCLUDES THE TIME THAT YOU HAVE WITH US TODAY. WE APPRECIATE YOU COMING IN. WE WILL BE DISCUSSING. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU ALL.

NICE TO MEET YOU.

ALL RIGHT. I WILL CROSS OUR FINGERS THAT THE SHUTDOWN DOES NOT AFFECT TSA AT THE END OF THE DAY.

I HAD A GOOD TIME THIS MORNING.

YESTERDAY I HAD NO ISSUES. I WILL CONTACT YOU IF THAT IS THE CASE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.

THANK YOU.

TSA IN SFO IS THEIR OWN ENTITY. THEY ARE NOT THE SAME AS OTHER AIRPORTS.

OKAY.

AS BEFORE, WE WILL TAKE TIME TO DISCUSS AMONGST OURSELVES. I THINK HERE WE HAVE A PROPENSITY TO START COMPARING. WE WILL START WITH SOME PLEASANT CONVERSATION ABOUT LEVI. LET'S SEE IF WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTERS. THEN THERE WILL BE A CONVERSATION WHERE WE DISCUSSED BETWEEN THE TWO.

SOUNDS GOOD.

I JUST WANT TO KNOW IF WE CAN AS PART OF THIS PROCESS.

THIS IS YOUR PROCESS. YOU ARE LISTENING. YOU ARE HEARING.

I FOUND HIS LEVEL OF ENTHUSIASM AND KNOWLEDGE, I DON'T WANT TO SAY AGGRESSIVE, BUT IT IS IRE TO REACH OUT WAS REALLY IMPRESSIVE. I AM CONFIDENT THAT THEY ARE GOING TO DO A GREAT JOB PLANNING

TO ACQUIRE A BROAD POOL OF QUALIFIED CANDIDATES WHERE THEY SCREEN THINGS WELL AND THEY HAVE GOOD TECHNICAL ABILITY. I FEEL LIKE I LEARNED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS PROCESS.

VICE MAYOR OR COUNCILMEMBER MAURER?
I WILL REITERATE WHAT WAS ALREADY SAID. HE CERTAINLY HAD ENTHUSIASM. HE WAS UPBEAT, KNOWLEDGEABLE ENOUGH. HE CERTAINLY DOESN'T HAVE THE AMOUNT OF EXPERIENCE. HE HAS THREE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE. HE SEEMS TO BE SELF-AWARE. HE KNOWS WHAT HIS LIMITATIONS ARE. AND HE'S GOT A GOOD MENTOR. I REALLY THOUGHT HE WAS NICELY UPBEAT AND KNOWLEDGEABLE. I REALLY LIKED THE 24 MONTH GUARANTEE. I THOUGHT THAT WAS REALLY GOOD. JUST THE WAY HE FRAMED A LOT OF THIS, I FELT HE WAS PUTTING RESPONSIBILITY ON US IN TERMS OF THE DECISION-MAKING. I APPRECIATED THAT. ANYWAY, I FELT VERY POSITIVE ABOUT THIS.

VICE MAYOR?
OKAY. I APPRECIATE HIS ENTHUSIASM. HE OBVIOUSLY DOESN'T HAVE A LOT OF EXPERIENCE UNDER HIS BELT, JUST WHY I ASKED THAT QUESTION. I DID APPRECIATE THAT. A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT JUST RESONATED WITH ME IS THAT I PERSONALLY DID NOT FIND THAT HE ANSWERED A LOT OF THE QUESTIONS. HE WAS A BIT City Council Meeting Packet of: October 21, 2025

REPETITIVE, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE ASKED ABOUT SEBASTOPOL. HE DID NOT REALLY ACTUALLY ANSWER THE QUESTION. I WAS KEEPING TRACK OF THAT. I DON'T THINK THE QUESTIONS WERE NECESSARILY ANSWERED WITH A NUMBER OF THESE. I PERSONALLY JUST WOULD HAVE PREFERRED A LITTLE MORE SUCCINCT COMMUNICATION WITH US. I FOUND MYSELF THINKING OVERALL, THIS IS GOING TO BE A LONG PROCESS. I LIKED HIM OVERALL, BUT I WILL HOLD ALL MY COMMENTS FOR LATER. ARE WE MAKING ALL OF OUR COMMENTS NOW? WE ARE GOING TO TAKE PUBLIC COMMENT AND THEN DO IT LIKE ALWAYS? I WANT TO MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND OUR PROCESS HERE.

WE ARE SHARING THOUGHTS ON THIS PARTICULAR PRESENTER. WE WILL TAKE PUBLIC COMMENT AND THEN WE WILL HAVE A FINAL DIALOGUE COMPARISON.

OKAY. IT SOUNDS LIKE HE WORKS FOR A LARGER COMPANY. THEY PROBABLY HAVE A LOT OF RESOURCES THERE.

TO BE FRANK, I HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF THE CONCERN ABOUT HAVING SOMEBODY WHO DOES NOT NECESSARILY

HAVE A LOT OF EXPERIENCE WITH THIS JUST BASED ON OUR NEEDS AND OUR HISTORY AND WHAT WE HAVE GONE THROUGH. I WOULD LIKE TO PERSONALLY SEE SOMEONE OR HAVE SOMEONE WHO HAS MORE EXPERIENCE. I DON'T KNOW. I AM TRYING TO LOOK THROUGH ALL MY NOTES SIERRA I WOULD HAVE LIKED

MORE DIRECT, SUCCINCT ANSWERS THAT ACTUALLY ANSWERED THE QUESTIONS INSTEAD OF A BIT OF RAMBLING WITHOUT ANY REAL ANSWER TO SEVERAL OF THEM. I CAN GO THROUGH THE QUESTIONS HE DIDN'T ANSWER, BUT IN GENERAL, THAT IS MY IMMEDIATE IMPRESSION.

YEAH, NO, I DEFINITELY PUT DOWN NOT RESPONSIVE, RAMBLING. I WAS LIKE, OKAY, THERE WAS THAT. MAYBE HE IS JUST NERVOUS. MAYBE HE WILL SETTLE IN. BUT THAT BALANCED WITH THE FACT THAT THE OPTIMISM WAS THERE, I WAS REALLY IMPRESSED WITH THE NUMBERS. THE NUMBERS HE THINKS WILL APPLY, THE NUMBERS HE THINKS WILL GO THROUGH THE FIRST ROUND AND THE SECOND ROUND TO GET TO US, I WAS LIKE YES. WE ARE A VALUED CITY. I WOULD HOPE WE WOULD ATTRACT THOSE NUMBERS. TIED IN WITH THE EMPLOYER CHOICE, THAT IS WHAT I NEEDED TO HEAR, 100%. I AM TIRED OF COMING INTO THESE SITUATIONS ON BENDED KNEES, BEGGING PEOPLE, TRYING TO SELL. NO. I FEEL LIKE WE ARE A GOOD CHOICE AND I APPRECIATE HIM SAYING IT NOT JUST ONCE, BUT THREE TIMES. I LIKE THE TOOLS AND THE ACCESS. I LIKE HAVING ACCESS TO THE APPLICANT. IT SEEMS LIKE WE WERE GOING TO GET SOMETHING MORE IN THE BACK CHANNEL THAN JUST WHAT THEY PUT ON PAPER AND HOW THEY APPLIED. QUITE HONESTLY, MAYBE IT IS ME BEING BOLD. I LOVED THAT HE WAS LIKE, THIS IS GOING TO BE A PROCESS, BUT WE CAN MAKE IT FUN. THIS IS A FUN AND ENJOYABLE PLACE AND IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE A SLOG. QUESTION NUMBER SIX, REGARDING THE DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND

INCLUSION THING, I WANT TO FOCUS ON THE B, ON THE BELONGING PART, ON THE FACT THAT THE STAFF NEEDS TO BE HEARD AND APPRECIATED AND VALUED AT EACH STEP. OTHERWISE, WHAT YOU PUT ON PAPER FOR DEI MEANS NOTHING. THAT STOOD OUT. I HAD NEVER HEARD THAT BEFORE. ALSO, THE MENTAL HEALTH PART, THE WORKLIFE BALANCE THING, THAT WAS VERY IMPORTANT FOR EMPLOYEES TO FEEL VALUED. AGAIN, THE NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS THAT HE ANTICIPATES GETTING WAS VERY ENTHUSIASTIC FOR ME. ON NUMBER 13, ABOUT THE WAY THE COUNSELOR ENGAGED IN THE PROCESS, HE SAID THERE WERE FOUR STEPS. HE SAID HE HOPED TO BE INVOLVED WITH ALL FOUR, MAYBE THREE DEPENDING ON ONE BEING VIRTUAL. AGAIN, THE

NUMBERS OF PEOPLE HE ANTICIPATES, I LIKE THE FACT THAT HE HAS ACCESS TO OTHER RESOURCES WITHIN HIS ORGANIZATION. AN ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGIST, $50-$100 PER APPLICANT. I WANT THAT, TOO. ALSO, YES, BECAUSE OF THE NEWNESS, I DO APPRECIATE HIM STATING THE FACT THAT HE HAS A 30 YEAR MENTOR. IT IS GOING TO BE FEMALE. I JUST LOVE ALL OF THAT. AND THE FACT THAT I THINK HE IS HUMBLE ENOUGH. HE WAS LIKE, LET ME JUST GO, TEAM. PUT ME IN. SHE SAID, NO, YOU DON'T KNOW ENOUGH. AND HE LISTENED.

I HAVE ONE OTHER THING THAT I WANTED TO ASK YOU ALL, IF YOU NOTICE, JUST ABOUT, IN THEIR CONTRACT, THEY HAVE A COST AND TIMELINE POLICY. I DON'T KNOW IF EVERYONE LOOKED AT THAT PAGE. I AM TRYING TO LOOK. FOR THE AGENDA ITEM, IT IS PAGE 23 OF 76. IT SEEMS AS THOUGH THEY HAVE A STRINGENT TIMELINE.

ADDITIONAL CHARGES WILL BE INCURRED IF WE GET OUTSIDE OF THAT TIMELINE. THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT I HAD ASKED DEBORAH AND KERRIE ABOUT, IF THAT WAS STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE. IF WE DID NOT LIKE THE CANDIDATES OR WHATEVER, WHERE WOULD THAT PUT US? WHAT COST WOULD THAT BE IF WE WEREN'T ABLE TO ABIDE BY THE TIMELINE THEY PUT TOGETHER? TIMELINES PROVIDED TO OUR CLIENTS ARE City Council Meeting Packet of: October 21, 2025

VALID FOR 10 BUSINESS DAYS. IF A TIMELINE IS NOT SECURED, AND THEY CANNOT DO THAT. YOU ALL CAN READ IT. IT JUST SEEMED A LITTLE STRINGENT WITH THE PROCESS. I DID NOT WANT TO SEE US INCURRING ADDITIONAL CHARGES IF THIS IS WHO WE DECIDED TO GO WITH. IT SAYS TO DELIVER OPTIMAL RESULTS, ADHERENCE TO AGREED-UPON DATES AND TIMES IS CRITICAL FOR RECRUITMENTS. ANY CHANGES TO THESE TIMELINES AFTER RECRUITMENT HAS COMMENCED MAY RESULT IN FORFEITURE OF RECRUITMENT GUARANTEE, ET CETERA. I WANTED TO POINT THAT OUT TO EVERYONE IF YOU HAD NOT SEE THAT.

I AM HAPPY TO HAVE A RESPONSE OR GO TO ANOTHER QUESTION FROM OUR GREAT FACILITATORS.

I DON'T KNOW IF IT IS STANDARD, BUT I THINK IT IS REASONABLE. WHAT THEY ARE TRYING TO GET OUT THERE IS

IF THEY GIVE US A TIMELINE AND THEN WE DON'T GET BACK TO THEM ABOUT WHETHER THAT TIMELINE IS WORKABLE OR IF WE ARE GOING TO MOVE FORWARD WITH IT, IS NOW SETTING THAT TIMELINE OFF. WE MAY BE IN A DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCE. IF WE SAY YESTERDAY, THAT IS A VERY DIFFERENT RECRUITMENT THAN IF WE SAY YES IN 30 DAYS, BECAUSE WE ARE UP AGAINST THE HOLIDAY SEASON. THINGS ARE JUST DIFFERENT.

THEY ARE TRYING TO GET US TO MOVE FORWARD AND BE ON THE SAME PAGE, AS OPPOSED TO -- NOT TO SAY

THAT IT IS TO TAKE AWAY OUR OPTIONS OR OUR CHOICE, WHEN WE SAY WE ARE IN, WE ARE IN AND MOVING FORWARD.

I THINK THAT IS PART OF IT. FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF SOMEONE WHO DOES THIS, IF THERE IS A PROCESS

THAT THEY HAVE BEEN PLANNING FOR MONTHS WITH DATES AND LOCATIONS AND RECRUITING AND THINGS LIKE THAT, THEY WILL HAVE REAL COSTS IF WE CHANGE THE TIMELINE. THEY MAY NOT HAVE THE ABILITY TO RECOVER THOSE COSTS.

GOT IT.

I JUST WANTED TO, I APPRECIATED YOUR COMMENTS, MAYOR. HIS FINAL COMMENTS ARE THAT HE LOVES THE WORK. HE LOVES BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS. HE LOVES COMMUNITY SERVICE. HE DOES HAVE A 30 YEAR MENTOR. I JUST WANTED TO APPRECIATE YOUR COMMENTS.

THANK YOU.

TO ADDRESS A FEW OTHER THINGS, SIMILAR TO WHAT JILL IS CONCERNED ABOUT, HE DID WATCH A FEW OF OUR COUNCIL MEETINGS AND POINTED OUT, HE HIT ON THREE THINGS WE ARE FOCUSED ON GOING FORWARD.

THAT NECESSARILY OUR BUDGET ANYMORE BUT WITH HOUSING AND OTHER ISSUES. HE HAS PROBABLY PROCESSED MORE SUCCESSFULLY THAN, I DON'T WANT TO GET INTO COMPARISONS, BUT IT IS A HIGH AVERAGE.

I THINK WE ARE GOING WELL AS FAR AS THAT GOES. WHEN HE ANSWERED THE QUESTIONS, SOME OF THEM

VEERED IN THE WAY THAT I WAS NOT EXPECTING THE QUESTION TO BE ANSWERED, BUT IT WAS ALSO INFORMATIVE. HE COVERED A FEW THINGS. THERE WAS A LITTLE BIT OF A REDUNDANCY, BUT IN A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM, WE CAN ASK HIM AND HE WILL BE COOL.

THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THAT UP. WHO IS ON THE BOOK WHEN WE DO THIS? THEN WE WILL GO ON FOR BOTH OF THEM. I DON'T REMEMBER WHO SIGNED THIS. WHAT STAFF IN THIS FIRM WERE WE WORKING WITH? I THINK IT WAS WENDI.

YEAH, THAT IS THE FIVE I HAD.

I THINK WE CAN PROBABLY TALK ABOUT THAT IN THE NEGOTIATIONS WITH THEM. IN WORKING WITH FIRMS

AND BEING INVOLVED IN THIS ROLE WITH THE CITY OF SANTA ROSA WHEN THEY WERE REDUCING CASH DOING A

DIFFERENT RECRUITMENT, ENROLLS COMPETING WITH THEM, THEY DID THE CITY MANAGER RECRUITMENT AND THIS PROCESS. HER FIRM HAS BEEN GETTING A LOT OF ACCOLADES ON THEIR CUSTOMIZATION, THEIR PROCESS, THEIR FOCUS ON THE CUSTOMER. THE MATURITY THAT HE IS SHOWING IS IMPRESSIVE. WITH THE KNOWLEDGE HE IS SHOWING, IT IS IMPRESSIVE. I CANNOT IMAGINE THAT SHE WOULD ALLOW HIM TO BE COMPLETELY SOLO.

SHE IS VERY DETAIL ORIENTED. WE CAN ASK FOR THAT. ABSOLUTELY.

ARE YOU JUST FOCUSING ON THIS ONE?
ARE WE IN TRANSITION?
ARE WE KEEPING IN ONE LANE OR BOTH LANES? I WILL DEFER TO YOU, KERRIE , FOCUSING ON THIS LAST APPLICANT.

SINCE EVERYONE HAD THEIR COMMENT, JUST LIKE WE DID ON THE FIRST, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE? City Council Meeting Packet of: October 21, 2025

FOR ME, I NEED TO BE CLEAR. DEBORAH, AS YOU SAID, I FEEL LIKE HIS MENTOR WOULD BE A MATURE PRESENCE. THAT TO ME WAS IMPORTANT.

I HEARD THAT HE HAD A PROJECT MANAGER AND TWO OTHER PEOPLE WITH HIM NO MATTER WHAT. SO I FEEL LIKE HE HAS A LITTLE BIT OF A TEAM.

WHEN HE CAME HERE AND SAT DOWN, HE SAID THAT SHE HAS OTHER AREAS IN HER SCHEDULE AT THE SAME TIME.

WILL WE SEE -- I WOULD LIKE HIM TO BE SUPERVISED BY SOMEBODY WITH SOME LEVELS OF EXPERIENCE FOR CERTAIN HOURS. THAT IS MY FINDING.

OKAY. DO WE WANT TO TRANSITION TO THE COMPARISONS, THE PROS AND CONS, WHERE YOU GUYS ARE LEANING? I THINK PUBLIC COMMENT AT SOME POINT.

YES, PLEASE.

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING.

ONE THING I WILL ADD AS A RESPONSE TO WHAT JILL POINTED OUT, AND IT HAS COME UP A COUPLE OF TIMES NOW, BOTH COMPANIES TO HAVE THAT GUARANTEE. -- HAVE THAT GUARANTEE. THEY WILL PROVIDE CONTINUED CONSULTING SERVICES FOR ONE ADDITIONAL RECRUITMENT. IF WE GET TO THE POINT WHERE WE DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE AM A THEY WILL RUN IT AGAIN. THEY ALSO IDENTIFIED IN THEIR RESPONSE A 12 MONTH GUARANTEE, NOT 24. I WANT TO POINT OUT. WE COULD CHAT WITH THEM IN THE NEGOTIATION TIME PERIOD IF WE WANTED TO ASK FOR 24, SINCE YOU BROUGHT IT UP. HE SAID 24.

I WAS GOING TO HIGHLIGHT THAT TO MAKE SURE THAT WILL BE FOLLOWED THROUGH ON.

AND THEN THE EMPLOYMENT OF THE CANDIDATE SELECTED AND BEFORE THE COMPLETION OF THE FIRST YEAR OF SERVICE, THE COMPANY WILL PROVIDE THE CITY WITH A SERVICE TO APPOINT A REPLACEMENT. IT IS A 12 MONTH GUARANTEE.

THAT ACTUALLY ANSWERED MY QUESTION.

ALL RIGHT. IF WE ARE GOING INTO BROAD COMMENTS, I HAVE TO SAY THAT I REALLY, REALLY LIKED WHATEVER THEY SUBMITTED, THE RFP PART, THEIR BROCHURE. THIS IS THE ONLY TIME I HAVE EVER SEEN A PAGE 3, 63% OF PEOPLE HIRED ARE LIKE THAT. THAT REALLY HELPS. FOR ME, THAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR BUILDING THE

MENTAL HEALTH AND RESPECTING A SENSE OF BELONGING FOR ALL STAFF REGARDLESS OF SIX, GENDER, WHATEVER. I HAVE TO HAVE A FEELING FOR THAT. MENTIONING IT IN THE BROCHURE, I AM JUST GOING TO SAY IT: THOSE THINGS MATTER.

I AM STRONGLY LEANING TOWARDS THE SECOND GUY. THE CONFIDENCE LEVEL AND HOW THEY WOULD

ACQUIRE SOMEBODY AND THE TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT THEY WANT TO DO FOR THE NEXT PERSON, A STRONG PERSON TO NOT ONLY BE A PEOPLE PERSON, WHICH IS A MANDATORY THING, BUT CONFIDENT. ABLE TO DO THE THINGS SO WE DON'T HAVE TO ASSIGN SO MANY THINGS TO CONSULTANTS OR THINGS LIKE THAT. I FELT THAT WAS REALLY STRONG. SOME OF THE OTHER THINGS THEY SAID JUST SEEMS NEXT LEVEL TO THE OTHER ONE.

YEAH, I AM IN AGREEMENT WITH PHILL. I WOULD CHOOSE THE SECOND PERSON FOR THE REASONS THAT WERE STATED. I FEEL LIKE HE WAS DEFINITELY MORE COUNCIL CENTRIC RATHER THAN, TRUST ME, WE KNOW HOW TO DO THIS. THAT IS HOW I FELT.

I JUST WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE IS NO ONE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT, RIGHT? BEFORE WE GIVE OUR OPINIONS? I WANT TO MAKE SURE WE ARE FOLLOWING PROCESS SIERRA I'M SORRY? YOU MAY NOT HAVE HEARD HER ANNOUNCE IT, BUT THERE WAS NO PUBLIC COMMENT.

SOMETIMES IT IS HARD TO HEAR. OKAY. BOTH COMPANIES SEEM ADEQUATE. I PERSONALLY, I DO WORK WITH A VARIETY OF RECRUITMENT FIRMS DAILY WITH MY JOB. I HAVE SOME EXPERIENCE WITH THAT. I PERSONALLY AND NOT SUPPORTIVE OF EITHER OF THEM. THAT MAY SHOCK SOME OF YOU. I THINK WE SHOULD RAISE THE BAR AND WE SHOULD LOOK FOR SOMEONE THAT WE DESERVE. I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD HAVE TO COMPROMISE AND SAY WE ARE WILLING TO GO WITH SOMEONE BECAUSE THEY HAVE A MENTOR. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE US HIRE SOMEONE WHO HAS A LOT OF EXPERIENCE. I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO HIRE SOMEONE WHO CAN COMMUNICATE TO US ABOUT OUR CITY. NEITHER WERE ABLE TO DO THAT. NUMEROUS QUESTIONS WERE NEVER ANSWERED. WHETHER YOU ARE INTERVIEWING FOR A JOB YOURSELF OR WHAT YOU DID TODAY, YOU City Council Meeting Packet of: October 21, 2025

ARE EXPECTED TO KNOW ABOUT THE COMPANY YOU INTERVIEW WITH. YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS IN SOME MANNER. I DID NOT SEE ANYTHING THAT I THOUGHT, WHICH IS DISAPPOINTING.

WE HAVE HAD A NUMBER OF MISSTEPS OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS WITH HIRING. I WOULD PERSONALLY LIKE TO

FEEL THAT I AM NOT COMPROMISING AND HAVE TO PICK ONE OF THE TWO, BUT RAISE THE BAR AND SEE SOME

BETTER COMPANIES WHO SPENT THE TIME FIGURING OUT WHO WE ARE AS A CITY, SOMEONE WHO FELT THAT WE DESERVED THE EXPERIENCE FROM ONE OF THE MORE EXPERIENCED PEOPLE. THE GENTLEMAN WHO WAS THERE, I LOVED HIS ENERGY AND EVERYTHING. AT THE SAME TIME, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE SOMEONE WHO HAS MORE EXPERIENCE, WHERE WE DON'T HAVE TO NEGOTIATE TO HAVE A MENTOR WITH HIM. WE DESERVE TO HAVE SOMEONE WHO IS SUPER EXPERIENCED. WE WENT THROUGH A ROUGH PATCH OVER THE PAST YEAR. I WOULD HATE TO SEE THAT REPEATED. I AM NOT PERSONALLY SUPPORTIVE OF EITHER. THOSE ARE MY THOUGHTS. THANK YOU.

I AM ALWAYS A FAN OF THREE. LIKE JOE WAS SAYING, I DON'T KNOW WHAT WE ARE MISSING OUT ON OR IF SOMEONE IS AVAILABLE AT THAT NEXT LEVEL. MAYBE THEY ARE MORE EXPENSIVE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. IT WOULD STILL BE INTERESTING TO SEE.

AS I MENTIONED AT THE BEGINNING, THERE WERE ORIGINALLY THREE THAT WE FOUND TO BE RESPONSIVE.

ONE WAS NOT AVAILABLE FOR IN PERSON TODAY. THAT IS WHY THEY ARE NOT HERE. THE OTHER TWO RESPONDED -- DIDN'T RESPOND TO THE RFP, SO WE REMOVED THEM. IF THE COUNCIL WANTS TO HAVE ANOTHER MEETING TO BRING THE THIRD ONE IN, THAT IS TOTALLY UP TO YOU.

I HAVE BEEN THROUGH THIS. IT SEEMS LIKE TWO MINUTES AGO WE WERE INTERVIEWING FOR THE FIRM WHERE WE GOT THE LAST APPLICANT. I REMEMBER. I DO NOT REMEMBER THE EMPHASIS ON THE TOWN, THE LEVEL OF ENTHUSIASM. I DO REMEMBER THEM SAYING, AS COUNCILMEMBER CARTER MENTIONED, THEY HAD REVIEWED THE TAPES. I DON'T EVEN REMEMBER THAT FROM THE PAST FIRMS THAT WE INTERVIEWED. FOR ME, I HAVE THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT TO SAY THAT I HAVE SEEN THESE FIRMS BEFORE. I AM STILL STRONGLY LEANING TOWARDS THE LAST PERSON WE INTERVIEWED.

SO AM I. AND ALSO THE FACT THAT DEBORAH SAID THIS COMPANY IS GETTING A LOT OF ACCOLADES.

ANYBODY?
I SHOULD PROBABLY WEIGH IN. THE OTHER FIRM THAT WAS NOT HERE TODAY IS A REALLY GREAT FIRM. THEY HAD A CONFERENCE THIS WEEKEND AND SHE COULD NOT PHYSICALLY GET BACK HERE IN TIME. I WOULD REALLY

LOVE TO HAVE HAD HEARD HERE GIVEN WHO SHE IS AND WHAT SHE HAS DONE FOR RECRUITMENTS IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR. BUT I ALSO THINK FROM A MARKETING PERSPECTIVE, -- DID I JUST DO THAT AGAIN? VICE MAYOR, IF YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH THAT FIRM AT ALL, CAN YOU HEAR ME? SORRY. YOU SOUND MUFFLED. WHAT DID YOU SAY?
VICE MAYOR McLEWIS, ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH PEPPY SMITH?
NO.

THEY ALREADY HUGE MARKETING FIRM. THEY HAVE MOVED INTO RECRUITMENT. IT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO HEAR WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY.

I APPRECIATE THAT. AT THE SAME TIME, THESE PEOPLE ARE NOT ONE PERSON FIRMS. I AM HAPPY TO PUT THIS OVER AND HAVE ANOTHER ONE FOR THE OTHER FIRM. I AM DISAPPOINTED THAT NO MATTER HOW GREAT THEY MAY BE, YOU COULD NOT SEND AN ASSOCIATE. WHILE THE PERSON FROM THAT OTHER COMPANY MIGHT BE ALL THAT, NOT BEING ABLE TO PUT AN ASSOCIATE IN THE ROOM SAYS THEY DON'T VALUE US. I WAS REALLY DISAPPOINTED THAT WENDI DID NOT COME AND THEY SENT ONE. THAT WHOLE VIBE IS A THING FOR ME, TOO.

HE IS MAKING A REALLY GOOD POINT. WHY DIDN'T AN ASSOCIATE COME IN? I FEEL CONFIDENT IN CHOOSING THE SECOND FIRM HERE TODAY. AND NOT DOING MORE INTERVIEWS. THAT IS ME.

I CAN DEAL WITH THAT.

I WOULD, TOO. WE ARE ALL PROBABLY EXHAUSTED GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS. I DO REMEMBER THE OTHER FIRMS. IF THEY WERE IN THE MIX, THAT WAS LESS THAN TWO YEARS AGO. I DID NOT SEE THAT APPLICANT. IF YOU ARE HUNGRY, YOU ARE HUNGRY. AND YOU WILL DEMONSTRATE IT. I DON'T FEEL LIKE BEING ON BENDED KNEES ANYMORE FOR ANY OF THIS.

City Council Meeting Packet of: October 21, 2025

I JUST WANTED OPEN EYES.

WITH THAT, YES, I DEFINITELY AM LEANING TOWARDS THE LAST APPLICANT.

IN ORDER TO TAKE ACTION, WE NEED A MOTION, A SECOND, A VOTE, AND ALL OF THE THINGS.

SO WE ARE ZONING IN ON RECRUITMENT. I GUESS WE HAVE TO DO A ROUND FOR A RECRUITMENT FIRM NOW.

I WILL MAKE A MOTION. I WILL MAKE A MOTION THAT WE APPROVE, IS IT WBCP? YES.

WITH AMENDMENTS THAT WE TALKED ABOUT, THE 24 MONTH AND ALSO THE INCLUSION OF THE MENTOR.

THAT IS MY MOTION.

I WILL SECOND IT.

CAN I ASK REALLY QUICK WHILE WE ARE GOING THROUGH, ARE YOU DIRECTING KERRIE AND DEBORAH FOR THE NEGOTIATIONS? WHERE DID THE TIMELINE COME IN? I DON'T THINK THEY ARE AWARE THAT THIS BROCHURE CONNECTS TO THE COUNCIL. THE BROCHURE HAS TO COME BACK FOR APPROVAL TO THE COUNCIL SIMILAR TO WHAT WE DID LAST TIME. I THINK THE TIMELINE IS GOING TO BE HONORED FOR A WEEK. WE CAN MAKE A MOTION TO DIRECT THEM TO NEGOTIATE.

YOU ARE ASKING IF THERE COULD BE A FIRM AMENDMENT TO THE MOTION THAT INCLUDES THAT WE ARE DIRECTED TO INCLUDE THOSE THINGS?
AS LONG AS WE ARE CLEAR WHAT THE TIMELINE IS GOOD TO BE I KNOW THEY HAVE THEIR TIMELINE. OUR TIMELINE INCLUDES ADDITIONAL STEPS. I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT IS CLEAR THAT IT MADE NEED TO BE EXTENDED BASED UPON THE PROCESSES.

YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT TODAY IS NOT OUR STARTING TIME.

YES.

SO MOVED.

I WILL ACCEPT THAT AS A SECOND.

OKAY. DO WE HAVE ANY DISCUSSION ABOUT THAT?
WE CERTAINLY HAVE MORE DISCUSSION. THERE IS STILL ROOM FOR DISCUSSION UNTIL I ASKED FOR THE ROLL CALL. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? ANYONE? NO? I GUESS WE WILL CALL THE ROLL.

MOTION BY MAYOR ZOLLMAN, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER MAURER WITH THE AMENDMENTS DISCUSSED INCLUDING THE 24 MONTHS SELECTION OF THE APPLICANT IF IT DOESN'T WORK OUT AND THE INCLUSION OF THE MENTOR IN ORDER TO NEGOTIATE. COUNCILMEMBER CARTER? YES.

COUNCILMEMBER MAURER?
YES.

VICE MAYOR McLEWIS
NO.

MAYOR ZOLLMAN?
YES.

MOTION PASSES 3-1. COUNCILMEMBER HINTON IS ABSENT.

ANYTHING ELSE YOU NEED FROM US? NO?
THIS WILL COME BEFORE COUNCIL, RIGHT?
THIS CONTRACT WILL COME UP.

UNDER CONSENT PROBABLY.

IT IS A TYPICAL CONTRACT.

IT IS AN EXPENDITURE, RIGHT?
WE DO HAVE PLENTY TO PROVE REGARDING THE BUDGET. THE QUESTION IS BASED UPON THEIR COMPETITION, SHOWING UP WITH THE FINAL NUMBERS.

COOL TOO ANY OTHER THOUGHTS OR COMMENTS BEFORE WE ADJOURN? LOOKING AROUND THE ROOM? City Council Meeting Packet of: October 21, 2025

I HAVE A LEGAL QUESTION. JUST CURIOUS ABOUT THE WHOLE BROWN ACT THING. IS THIS PART OF SOME OTHER PROCESS OF THE BROWN ACT? OR IS THIS BEGINNING A NEW CONVERSATION AS OPPOSED TO, LIKE, HAVE WE TALKED ABOUT THIS, THE RECRUITING PROCESS?
THE CONTRACT HASN'T BEEN APPROVED. SO YOU STILL, YOU CAN'T, IF YOU DISCUSS THE PLAN IN PERSON, YOU CANNOT DISCUSS IT WITH OTHER MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL BECAUSE IT HAS NOT BEEN APPROVED YET.

IN THE GENERAL RULE, YOU SHOULD NOT BE HAVING CONVERSATIONS WITH MORE THAN ONE OTHER COUNCILPERSON ABOUT A TOPIC THAT IS STILL UP FOR A VOTE. THE APPROVAL OF THIS CONTRACT IS STILL UP FOR A VOTE ONCE WE GET THAT NEGOTIATED.

OKAY. IF NOTHING ELSE, THEN I THINK WE ARE ADJOURNED. THANK YOU, EVERYONE.

City Council Meeting Packet of: October 21, 2025