Town of Yountville | Town Manager Recruitment
Community Engagement Summary
Overview and Methodology
The Community Engagement Plan gathered public input through three channels: (1) a dedicated email address for written comments; (2) listening sessions with key community groups and individuals, including Department Heads; and (3) a short-answer community survey.
Note on methodology: Survey participants opted in themselves rather than being randomly sampled, so while engagement was robust and open, it was not a scientific sample. All input has been synthesized into common themes; comments below are paraphrased, not verbatim.
Executive Summary:
Key Attributes Sought
Across all stakeholder groups, a consistent profile emerges. Residents and business leaders alike want a servant leader: humble, ego-free, and genuinely collaborative rather than directive. Trust-building qualities, transparency, active listening, integrity, and emotional intelligence, were the most frequently cited attributes overall. Stakeholders also want a candidate with a proven, verifiable track record, including direct experience with complex development projects, public sector budgeting, and managing communities of similar size and character. Several groups emphasized the need for someone who can be a bridge-builder, and bring both big picture vision and attentiveness to Yountville specific detail. Department Heads in particular want a non-micromanaging, staff-empowering leader who is visible and accessible.
Top Issues Facing the Next Town Manager
The Yountville Commons project was named the single most significant and contentious issue across every stakeholder group. Its cost, scale, use, and process were all frequently cited as top concerns. Closely related is affordable/workforce housing, both as a Commons-specific question and a broader town need. Several groups raised erosion of trust between residents, Council, and the previous Town Manager, along with concerns about Council dynamics, and role boundaries between Council and the Town Manager. Economic concerns featured prominently, including heavy reliance on TOT (hotel) revenue, a retail scarcity gap, and the broader wine industry downturn. Multiple groups also flagged the need for a deeper partnership with the Veterans Home community, a static tax base, and the need for a more inclusive, transparent public engagement process going forward, including in the hiring process itself.
Questions to Elevate to Council
Recommended interview questions cluster around five themes: (1) the Commons: plan, timeline, funding, and use of the old YES property; (2) conflict and crisis management: including real-time reactions to high-conflict scenarios; (3) motivation and fit: why this candidate wants to enter a currently contentious situation; (4) leadership style: team-building, accountability, and Council dynamics; and (5) track record verification: prior accomplishments, reasons for leaving past roles, and conduct history.
Conclusion
Feedback across all channels converges on a clear mandate: the community is seeking a technically competent, experienced municipal leader whose greatest asset is character, humility, transparency, and the interpersonal skills to rebuild trust, paired with the resolve to responsibly resolve the Commons project and steer the town through a period of perceived change.
Town of Yountville | Town Manager Recruitment
Community Engagement Summary
I. Process
A. Listening sessions: No sign-in sheet
• Business and Hospitality Community: 90 emails sent 6/29/2026 o Session held July 13, 2026, 2:30 – 3:30pm
o 10 attendees, plus 2 reporters
• Residents and Community Members: 27 emails sent 6/29/2026 o Session held July 13, 2026, 4:30 – 5:30pm
o 53 attendees, plus 1 reporter
• Individual:
o Thomas Keller, Large Employer: Zoom meeting 7/7/26
o Gary Jabara, Large Employer: Teams meeting 7/8/26
o Natalie Leighton, Yountville Chamber of Commerce: Teams meeting 7/8/26 o Carrie Hays, Community Member: Teams meeting 6/29/26
o Robin Chambers, Community Member: Outreach via email and phone; declined to meet o Holly Holtzen, Veterans Home of California: no response.
B. Online survey:
49 responses received.
C. Public Input Email:
13 emails received, totaling 13 pages of written input. This dedicated email address remained open to any member of the public wishing to submit open-ended comments in writing.
D. Department Head Engagement:
All five Department Heads participated, contributing input primarily on desired candidate attributes.
II. Feedback from Stakeholders
1) What are some of the key attributes you would like the next Town Manager to have? A. Business and Hospitality
1. Balances multiple stakeholders (council, residents, state, county, etc.)
2. Transparent, proactive communicator
3. Big picture, long-term thinker
4. Genuinely collaborative, builds buy in without over-collaborating to the point of inaction
5. Unifier for a divided community
6. Draws on community knowledge and lived experience
7. Assertive but respectful and willing to challenge council when needed
8. Neutral / no prior ties to Yountville ("clean slate") Town of Yountville | Town Manager Recruitment
Community Engagement Summary
9. Forward-thinking and realistic about hard truths facing the town
10. Authentic personality and genuine, verifiable reasons for seeking the role B. Resident and Community Members
1. Proven track record with concrete accomplishments (not just credentials)
2. Commons project / complex development experience
3. Budget expertise (public and private sector)
4. Consensus building, ego free leadership
5. Diplomatic communicator across business and resident communities
6. Responsive to residents (listens, follows through, supports staff)
7. Ethical, neutral, and nonpartisan
8. Commitment/stability
9. Transparency and accountability (e.g., in-person budget sessions)
10. Genuine connection to and understanding of Yountville C. Individual
1. Respectful and kind, valuing perspectives across all age groups
2. Visionary. Attentive to demographic shifts.
3. Collaborative, especially in strengthening Town-Chamber and business relationships
4. Personable with strong relationship building / soft skills
5. Sense of history and understanding of Yountville's past
6. Fiscal responsibility and transparency in spending
7. Business friendly orientation, aligning community and business interests
8. Community oriented approach
9. Strong communication skills
10. Verifiable, consistent track record with current, demonstrated success and thorough due diligence D. Online Survey
1. Listening skills / responsiveness to community input
2. Transparency and honesty/integrity
3. Fiscal responsibility and financial acumen
4. Strong communication skills
5. Community focused / people first orientation
6. Relevant municipal / small town experience
7. Humility / lack of ego, kindness
8. Leadership and vision
9. Ability to manage staff effectively
10. Data-driven, analytical decision-making
E. Public Input Email
1. Active listening, humility, and servant leadership; non-arrogant, ego free approach
2. Strong written and verbal communication, adaptive to different audiences
3. Emotional intelligence, integrity, and judgment suited to a small, relationship driven community Town of Yountville | Town Manager Recruitment
Community Engagement Summary
4. Responsiveness and follow through with residents
5. Technical competence in municipal government fundamentals, including public safety and emergency/crisis management
6. Collaborative, non-authoritarian leadership; respectful of staff expertise and internal/external stakeholders
7. Proactive, creative problem-solving with comprehensive judgment
8. Broad, relevant experience, managing similarly sized communities, leading departments, working with councils, and (ideally) an "outsider" skillset
9. Ability to navigate dual accountability and Council dissension while balancing business and resident needs
10. Long-term, big picture vision; dual level thinking from Yountville specifics to 20-year regional implications
F. Department Heads:
1. Transparent, open communication
2. Collaborative and coaching leadership style, with strong Council alignment
3. Approachable, accessible, and visible. Present and available to staff and community
4. Authentic, kind, and caring, with genuine staff engagement
5. Clear vision, especially creative thinking on issues like the Commons and Veterans Home
6. Politically savvy and level-headed
7. Open to input — welcomes public input, team meetings, and professional development
8. Not a micro-manager — trusts and empowers seasoned department heads
9. Land use and development background, with relevant experience for the Town's needs
10. Strong listener with good interpersonal/soft skills 2) What are the top issues that the next Town Manager will be facing? A. Business and Hospitality
1. Untapped community expertise
2. Uncertainty over the Commons' true beneficiaries and whether it will deliver on its purpose
3. Persistent, unresolved parking shortage
4. Retail and economic vitality gap: lack of accessible retail despite a built-in tourist customer base
5. Housing affordability: workforce housing that isn't genuinely affordable to workers
6. Population decline and aging demographics (Town and Veterans Home)
7. Tension between fiscal necessity and community identity (e.g., school closure)
8. Difficulty attracting/retaining younger residents and visitors
9. Lack of decision-making clarity and transparency: vague proposals without concrete numbers or consequences
10. Broken trust
B. Resident and Community Members
1. Council/Town Manager role clarity
2. Erosion of trust, specifically tied to the Commons issue Town of Yountville | Town Manager Recruitment
Community Engagement Summary
3. Divisiveness on an otherwise long-tenured, well-regarded council
4. Timeline of and need for community input in the hiring process
5. Need for robust vetting of Town Manager candidates
6. Yountville's identity beyond the Commons project
7. Community affection for Yountville and desire to support a well-informed decision C. Individual
1. Yountville Commons — the dominant, most contentious issue, spanning workforce housing scale, cost and use
2. Need for inclusive community engagement — residents and other stakeholders
3. Retail access and affordability
4. Employee/workforce housing needs, building on existing models
5. Outreach to understand what local businesses need
6. Attention to the Veterans Home and its 600–700 residents
7. Static tax base with limited budget flexibility
8. Council dynamics
9. Need to better leverage existing strong staff and public safety partners (Fire, Sheriff/CalFire) D. Online Survey
1. Yountville Commons project (development, funding, future use)
2. Affordable/workforce housing and state housing mandates
3. Rebuilding trust
4. Fiscal stability and budget management
5. Balancing growth and development with small town character
6. Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) revenue and tourism balance
7. Transparent communication and community engagement
8. Managing outside pressure/influence (state mandates, wealthy developers) E. Public Input Email
1. Yountville Commons — development plan, workforce/affordable housing demand, and alternate site evaluation
2. Housing affordability, tied to both workforce needs (including winery workers) and the Town's ability to attract a qualified Town Manager
3. Heavy budget reliance on hotel TOT and retail scarcity limiting economic diversification
4. Competitive decline relative to Napa and the broader wine industry downturn affecting Yountville's appeal
5. Governance dynamics
6. Need for a strategy to attract and retain retail (including signage delays, pop-ups, and a proposed retail corridor)
7. Public safety and crisis management, given the Town's history of wildfires and other incidents
8. Improving service to Veterans
9. TM recruitment process
Town of Yountville | Town Manager Recruitment
Community Engagement Summary
10. Preserving equitable, diverse community identity — food/wine/arts culture and support for residents beyond business interests
3) What question would you like to elevate to the Town Council to ask the next Town Manager? A. Business and Hospitality
1. Do you have experience with Yountville's specific level and type of tourism, and the issues that come with it?
2. How have you responded to a high-conflict situation in the past?
3. How do you react in real time when someone confronts you with anger or conflict, without time to prepare?
4. How can the Council reliably assess a candidate's character and reasons for leaving past roles within a confidential hiring process?
5. Why do you want this job in Yountville specifically, rather than elsewhere?
6. What is it about Yountville that draws you here, and does your energy match the community's hardworking, improvement-driven spirit?
7. What can you tell me about Yountville, and what would you like to see change?
8. How would you prioritize Yountville as a whole over individual business interests?
9. What do you see as the pros and cons of living in Yountville?
10. Would Yountville be better served by a Town Manager whose personal life is based outside of town?
B. Resident and Community Members
1. Can you give an example where you started with one opinion, heard from the public, and changed your mind based on that input?
2. Knowing what's happening in the Town right now (the Commons), why do you want this job — why walk into this situation?
3. How much of your focus is on the goal versus the process in getting there?
4. What are your skills for navigating council dynamics, and how do you handle disagreement with the council?
5. What is the most challenging issue you've had to handle in the last year, and how did you resolve it?
6. How open are you to different forms of communication with the public beyond one-way messaging (e.g., YouTube videos, newsletters)?
7. Given the limited frequency, length, and rules around council meetings, how would you and the council ensure the public gets the depth of information they're asking for?
8. What specific, demanding questions would you want the Council to ask you directly? C. Individual
1. How would you work with and communicate across all the different facets and interests of the community?
2. How would you structure your team, and how do you hold people accountable?
3. What do you think the Town needs most right now, and how do you plan to positively impact it? Town of Yountville | Town Manager Recruitment
Community Engagement Summary
4. What pragmatic, practical controls or benchmarks would you propose to set the Town up for success, and would you commit to sharing them with the Council/community?
5. How would you find ways to save taxpayer money, and how would you plan for the risk of a large employer closing down?
D. Online Survey
1. What's your plan, timeline, and funding strategy for developing the Yountville Commons, and what's the appropriate use for the old YES property?
2. What successes have you had managing a public property or master plan from concept through construction and financing?
3. How will you handle a Council seen as divided, unprofessional, or influenced by powerful outside interests?
4. Are you a good listener, and will you have an open-door policy to learn residents' and workers' needs across different times of day?
5. How do you maintain neutrality during intense community divides, and can you share an example of resolving a high-profile local dispute?
6. How will you ensure procurement is ethical and transparent, and how will you make capital budgets clear to residents, especially for sunk-cost projects facing backlash?
7. What's your long-term vision for Yountville (e.g., "Yountville in 2036"), and will you keep the town small and quaint versus allowing larger-scale development?
8. Why do you want this position, and why enter a fractured situation right now?
9. What does an exceptional organizational culture look like to you, and how will you build a more efficient, effective staff team?
10. Have you been accused of or disciplined for workplace misconduct, and can references/previous employers be contacted?
E. Public Input Email
1. Tell us about a specific real experience where a town's biggest challenge was relational, not technical — where trust between elected officials, staff, and the community was deeply divided.
2. Looking back on that situation, what did you learn about creating conditions for productive dialogue and shared accountability, and what assumptions did you hold that later proved wrong?
3. What did you do, what worked, and how did you know something had changed?
4. How would you define success in this job?
5. What is the long-term vision for the old school site and Welcome Center location — could they be reimagined to better serve the town?