Public Safety Building housing Council Chambers, Yelm

– Editor’s note:
* Yelm will now have an INTERIM Mayor and INTERIM City Administrator,
* Harding’s legacy: the two top city leadership positions are not filled with full-timers.
* August 1st marked 11 months the city of Yelm has officially had no full-time City Administrator,
* August 5th marks 14 months since the city was notified of the City Administrator impending vacancy,
* Since the May 24, 2016 authorization hiring a talent recruitment firm, the council/public have heard nothing.

On Monday, March 14, Mayor Harding introduced his selection for interim City Administrator, Bill Brandon, who began in this post on March 15th. Harding told the NVN published March 18 that Brandon would be working on an as-needed basis, “just to free me up to be able to do more of an extensive outreach or search.”
[Note: the public now knows Harding was freed-up to search for a job elsewhere for himself.]
While very well-respected by the Yelm City Council, Brandon’s tenure was to be short. Yet Harding took over 2 months after hiring Brandon to finally send the Council an agenda on May 24, 2016 seeking to finally hire a talent-recruitment firm for a full-time City Administrator, the same firm Harding used to hire an interim administrator, The Prothman Company, a government staffing firm.


– Bottom line
* Interim City Administrator Brandon has now been on-the-job 4 ½ months with no end in sight.
* With Harding out of day-to-day affairs, a part-time, interim staffer becomes our town’s manager Aug. 10th.
* Since hiring a talent recruitment firm, nothing announced on a potential full-time City Administrator replacement.
* Did Harding simultaneously use The Prothman Company to seek a job elsewhere for himself?


– Onward to the future
With Mayor Harding’s leaving his position on August 9th with a full-time City Administrator post officially vacant now for 11 months, this marks a new era where the potential of “fresh air” can reign above his style of micro-managing department heads to allow them the opportunity to properly do their jobs. The primary order of business for the interim mayor must be in city staffing, especially in filling the City Administrator post and augmenting Police staffing, plus re-establishing open public dialogue with the community.


– From the City Council Minutes, May 24, 2016.
Engagement for Professional Recruitment of City Administrator
Bill Brandon, Interim City Administrator stated that Prothman Company is a proven facilitator of municipal employment recruitment in Washington. The position of City Administrator is crucial to assist the Mayor in professional management of the City. Prothman Company assistance in the recruitment process would be invaluable in the search for the City’s next City Administrator. Many areas of City operation have been evaluated and policies have been instituted to enhance services in the community. However, long-term goals and policies need to be developed and enacted. The recruitment process normally takes from a minimum of 2½ months to 3½ months, 3½ months is most typical. Professional recruitment, in my experience, is the most effective process in insuring a broad outreach in recruiting qualified professional municipal managers. The recruitment process includes Description of Ideal Candidate Qualifications, Organization-Specific Information, Community Specific-information, Compensation Package Details and information on how to apply.

MOTION BY BOB ISOM AUTHORIZING MAYOR HARDING TO SIGN THE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH PROTHMAN COMPANY IN THE AMOUNT OF $19,500. CERTAIN ADDITIONAL EXPENSES WILL INCUR DEPENDING ON THE DESIGN OF THE RECRUITMENT (DETERMINED BY THE CITY) AND THE TRAVEL EXPENSES OF SELECTED CANDIDATES. THIS ADDITIONAL EXPENSE SHALL NOT EXCEED $10,000 WITHOUT PRIOR APPROVAL OF COUNCIL.
CARRIED.
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