[RP TownTalk] Change in Government

Fri Mar 4 03:54:35 UTC 2016

Dear Marilyn,

The CEO (the title of the position is "Town Manager") is responsible for
implementing/executing the policies created by the Town Council (which now
includes the Mayor, as a full member).  While this is *part* of what the
Mayor does right now, the Mayor also represents the Town politically at
various events (the Maryland Municipal League has a meeting of mayors every
year, and there are various other events including high-level meetings with
other municipalities to discuss issues affecting everyone), and works to
lead the Council by making sure we know what's going on outside of our own
wards.  The Mayor will continue to do the important work of leading the
Council and representing the Town to the outside world, but a lot of
day-to-day decisions -- like deciding whether we need a new contractor for
IT support, and similar decisions - will be handled by the Town Manager.

There isn't a specific process for _hiring_ a Town Manager, though we do
have a traditional process that we've followed for all of the department
heads:

   - creating a committee of local government executives to review
   applications (the committee is composed of different people depending on
   whether it's Public Works, General Government, or Police) ,
   - advertising the position,
   - reviewing the applications
   - narrowing it down to a small number of applicants (typically 3-4),
   - Council interviews of the narrowed-down list, and
   - selection of a final candidate.

This is how we hired all three of the current department heads, and I
believe that we will follow the same process for the Town Manager.

The process for _removing_ the Town Manager is much more specific, and I
can provide the details if you would like me to.  The idea is to be fair
and let them defend themselves, and to have a minimum severance package
(typically a few months pay).  I think this process will allow us to
attract better applicants -- the job can disappear suddenly if there is a
"wave" election, and providing a little financial buffer makes the job more
attractive.

Please let me know if you want more details, or if I didn't answer your
questions.

Best regards,

Alan

On Thu, Mar 3, 2016 at 10:59 AM, Marilyn Schoppet <marilyn at schoppet.net>
wrote:

> Alan,
>
> Does a CEO take the place of the Mayor?  You mentioned the selection
> process for the Town Manager.  Can you be more specific?
>
> Thanks!
>
> Marilyn
> Ward 2
>
> On Thu, Mar 3, 2016 at 9:57 AM, Audrey Bragg <abragg7393 at aol.com> wrote:
>
>> Thank you Alan for your detailed response.  I really appreciate it.
>> Audrey
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Alan K. Thompson <akthompson at riverdaleparkmd.gov>
>> To: Audrey Bragg <abragg7393 at aol.com>; TownTalk <
>> TownTalk at riverdale-park.org>
>> Sent: Wed, Mar 2, 2016 9:15 pm
>> Subject: Re: Change in Government
>>
>> Hi Audrey,
>>
>> Thank you for your interest in this.  I'm happy to answer your questions
>> for the current draft, but things may change because of feedback from the
>> citizens and the Council.  I'll answer your questions after each one below.
>>
>> On Wed, Mar 2, 2016 at 6:24 PM, Audrey Bragg <abragg7393 at aol.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Just reading the Town Crier and Mayor's report regarding the change in
>>> the town government.  A professional manager will be in charge of the town
>>> instead of the Mayor.  I would like to hear what other residents have to
>>> say about this and I do have questions.
>>> Will the CEO be required to live in the town?  I think this is very
>>> important.
>>>
>>
>> This is not in the current draft.  Greenbelt requires this of their City
>> Manager, but I don't think that either College Park or Hyattsville (both of
>> which have forms of government closer to the "Council-Manager" form than we
>> do) require this.  I can check into that and get back to you if you're
>> interested.
>>
>>
>>> What are the education and experience requirements for the position?
>>>
>>
>> Currently full membership in good standing in the International City and
>> County Manager's Association, which is a professional accreditation
>> organization for managers of local governments.  They have stringent
>> requirements including educational requirements, and are recognized around
>> the world.
>>
>>
>>> Why do we even need a Mayor if the CEO is in charge?  Why not just have
>>> a board?
>>>
>>
>> In a lot of ways the Mayor is just a member of the Council under the
>> proposal, but he or she does have some additional responsibilities, and is
>> elected to represent the whole Town and not just part of it.  As I said in
>> my February Town Crier article about this change, in Greenbelt (the closest
>> to a pure Council-Manager form of government near us) the Mayor is not
>> directly elected.  The language from the current draft says: "*The mayor
>> shall be recognized as the head of the town government for all ceremonial
>> purposes, by the court for serving civil process, and by the Governor for
>> the purpose of military and emergency law*."
>>
>>
>>> Will the Mayor and Council be the only ones who decide this matter or
>>> will it go to referendum for a vote by the residents?
>>>
>>
>> Unless the citizens want a referendum, it will be decided by the Council.
>> § 4-304 of the Local Government Code of Maryland (which governs amendments
>> to municipal charters) allows referendum only at the request of the voters
>> - the Council cannot initiate a binding referendum.
>>
>>
>>> Who will the CEO be responsible to?  Can the council hire and fire?  Is
>>> the CEO elected or appointed by council?
>>>
>>
>> The Town Manager is hired and removed by the Town Council, and is
>> responsible to them and to the law; the exact language is "serves at the
>> pleasure of the Council" and means that the Town Manager can be removed for
>> any reason (or no reason, if the Council decides so).  The current charter
>> change draft has a specific process for removal of the Town Manager.
>>
>>
>>> Do any of the other local towns do this and how does it work for them?
>>>
>>
>> College Park, Hyattsville, and Greenbelt all have City Managers, though
>> the split in power between the Council, Mayor, and Town Manager in all
>> three are different (and that split is still being adjusted in my draft,
>> even before formally introducing it).  I would say that this system works
>> well in all of those municipalities.
>>
>>
>>> I think this is a very serious and important matter and I think the
>>> residents need to be involved and notified when we can review any
>>> legislation and ask questions and it should be well advertised so people
>>> are aware and know what's going on.
>>>
>>
>> I agree.  I wrote my long article on it in the February Town Crier, Mayor
>> Archer wrote about it this month, and we can have up to 60 days after
>> introduction to discuss it before we have to pass it reject it.
>>
>>
>>> I would really like to hear the opinions and ideas and questions from
>>> the residents.
>>>
>>
>> Me too!
>>
>> Thanks again for writing, and I'd love to continue the discussion.
>>
>> Best regards,
>>
>> Alan
>>
>>
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>>
>
>
> --
> *Marilyn*
>
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