Monday, December 26, 2011

Lake Worth's job Description for Interim City Manager

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An exercise that never should have happened, causing extra work for Staff as well as expense, Lake Worth works up job description for an Interim City Manager. Seven resumes have been submitted to date. The next submission date will be December 28, 2011.

INTERIM CITY MANAGER JOB CODE
Salary based on qualification and experience.
Closing: TBD

The City of Lake Worth is located on the Atlantic Ocean in Palm Beach County, 60 miles north of Miami. Lake Worth has old-Florida charm with sub-tropical climate, 5 historic districts, Waterways and Beach front, a Municipal Golf Course and eclectic downtown shopping area. Lake Worth is a dynamic, vibrant, multi-cultural City with strong social and environmental consciousness and pride in its identity.

The City incorporated in 1913 and has operated under a Council-Manager form of government since 1937. The City provides a full range of municipal services and recreational amenities. Expenditures in the FY 2012 Annual Operating Budget total $172,266,317 for all City funds, with approximately 248 full time employees and a population of 34,910.

The City of Lake Worth currently has an immediate opening for a Interim City Manager. The successful candidate will be a strong communicative leader who can promote a collaborative and trusting work environment. The selected candidate will have a track record of proven participative management and leadership skills, including developing and maintaining a strong cooperative team atmosphere and open communications between the manager and City Council, the manager and City staff and the manager and community residents. A demonstrated track record of working well with varied agendas, interests and opinions is important, as well as the ability to be an effective consensus builder and respected leader among those various individuals and groups.

The City has major planning and project management issues and increasing financial constraint, so competency in financial and project management is essential. The City imposed contracts with two of three labor unions in 2010, and is now in negotiations for new three year contracts so demonstrated experience in successful employee relations is a key expertise for the candidate. The ideal candidate will value diversity, full transparency in government, and the principles of energy conservation and sustainability.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: The Interim City Manager is the chief administrative officer of the City and is responsible to the Mayor and City Commissions for the management and operations of all affairs of all departments within the City. The successful candidate will manage and control all matters and things pertaining to the day to day operations of the City. All duties shall be performed in conformity with the ordinances or resolutions of the City and the statutes of the State. Standard office hours are required, along with substantial overtime work on nights, weekends, holidays, etc. as necessary.

The successful candidate will be involved in directing and supervising the administration of all departments, and offices within the City and when deemed necessary responsible over departments and/or officers that may be created or appointed in the future. The successful candidate will be responsible for; attending all City Commission meetings and taking part in the discussion; submitting to the City Commission and make available to the public a complete report on the finances and administrative activities, and any other reports concerning the operations of City departments and offices. The successful candidate will perform advisory services to the City Commission concerning financial condition and future needs of the City and make recommendations to the City Commission concerning affairs of the City as deemed desirable. The successful candidate will execute such other duties as are specified in this charter or may be required by the City Commission.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: This position is a high visibility position requiring the ability to interact with the public, employees, elected officials, and outside agencies and government officials. A high degree of oral and written communications skills is required, along with the ability to speak in public and represent the City in an official capacity. Strong knowledge of sound leadership and performance management, community-oriented problem solving, budgeting principles and practices, finance, and interpersonal skills, are a key requirement for this position.

Education and Experience: Bachelor’s degree (B.A.) in Public Administration, Finance, Management or related field from a four (4) year college or university. Seven (7) years work experience at the executive level. City Manager and/or Florida municipal or county experience is preferred and experience with a municipal electrical power distribution system desirable. Military command or business executive/ownership experience also will be considered as a substitute for municipal or county executive level experience.

Certifications, Licenses, Registration: Valid driver’s license. Membership in International City Management Association (ICMA) or Florida City County Managers Association (FCCMA) preferred. ICMA Credentialed Manager designation desirable.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks Lynn, where did they publish this online?

Lynn Anderson said...

This was public information transmitted in an e-mail from the HR Director on 12-22.

Anonymous said...

I loved that they were thoughtful and said in: "Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: This position is a high visibility position requiring the ability to interact with the public, employees, elected officials, and outside agencies and government officials."

I agree so much although some on here say the CM only reports to the commission, I think the CM needs good skills to interact with the public like it says here, she/he is the CEO and head of the city management team and needs to have strong interactive abilities with the public. We need to get someone who can interact with the public without the attitude, without talking down to people or being condescending, we need someone that has extremely effective social abilities.
This part is excellent part of the job description!

Anonymous said...

"A high degree of oral and written communications skills is required, along with the ability to speak in public and represent the City in an official capacity."

Yes, absolutely critical! Stanton did not have this and had a real problem interacting with the public as a whole.

Dale said...

I wonder if the Commission had written the description, more emphasis on all the Utilities and mention of the creeping blight with less boiler plate would have served the short and long term interests of the City better?

Anonymous said...

Boynton just short listed 60 candidates to 16 for the position of CM. why don't we just save time and money and buy their short list from them?

Anonymous said...

Boynton is a F&*%ed up city

Michael said...

The CM does not just report to the commissioners. She is a city employees paid by our tax dollars and reports to all of us as does the commission. We need a new CM that will be responsive to and respectful toward every citizens here and have strong social skills and communicative skills to effectively run the city and interact with ALL of us not just the commission.

Lynn Anderson said...

Well, perhaps you would like the CM to report to you but she does NOT.

For 2012, how about it if everyone just follows protocol.

The public contacts its commissioner or the mayor.

The employees contact their supervisor. The Department heads report to the CM.

The CM reports to the Commission.

Let's get a grip and STOP making the CM's job political.

Thanks.

Anonymous said...

The only boss the city manager has is the Commission.

Anonymous said...

I don't know what in the heck is wrong with Lake Worth. You people just went back 15 years. You were on the right track. What did these commissioners do to you? This is the politics of yesteryear. I had such high hopes for LW and Maxwell and gangsters just destroyed it all. Can this really be happening? Thank God I don't live in Lake Worth. I feel sorry for each and everyone of you who has to put up with the arrogance of Maxwell and the ineptness of the Mayor and that other one.
JM

Anonymous said...

JM @1:52.
We are very glad you don't live here too.

Anonymous said...

I would agree with 7:17 except JM is a made up name by a made up poster. Stanton was in bed with the cabal, catering to their demands, now they're mad and upset she's gone. Now they're going to do everything they can to keep this matter alive until the next election so Suzy Clueless and Dr. Mcoy, (he's a scientist you know) don't end up the same as Golden and what was the 3 month mayor's name again?
There were 10 people at Annabeth Karson's big protest to save Stanton. There was more press than protesters. What does that tell you? That nobody except Lynn, Laurel Decker and 8 others care that Stanton was fired.
Ha!.

Lynn Anderson said...

I almost did not post the above because it is flat wrong. The poster is someone I know. He is a former candidate for elected office, a Democrat, who dropped out of the primary several years ago, running for office on a State level. I know him personally and those are his words.

Next, there were 15 people at the protest about firing the City Manager. I care that anyone is fired for politics. I care that someone was fired because of a bully on the pulpit who could not deal with a strong woman. I care that it was easier to fire her rather than to lead.

The Palm Beach Post has come down hard on this new commission for what it has done. There are many more than 8 people that you cite. There are thousands more who have a whole lot more empathy than you have in your one toe and care a lot what this commission did and how they did it. The American way is to give people a chance. She was turning this city around and we were in the right direction.

This new commission always said that they would give her a chance. It was only Maxwell who has had an obsession since inception. He was stronger than Triolo and Amoroso's common sense of decency and doing the right thing.

You think it cute to fire someone for no reasons stated other than you just don't like her? This commission should have lead, given direction, and allowed her to do the job.

Anonymous said...

Anony at 8:31. You are a made up poster. No name. Whatever you say has the credibility of a slug. You sure do not sound like a likeable person. B. Grant

Anonymous said...

HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
You are looking for a city manager who takes orders from the commission. You had that.

Anonymous said...

Boy Lynn.... you sure said a mouthful this time. 1st... the "strong woman" bit is more telling of you and doesn't speak to the issue. You have made that statement before and it smacks of a syndrome that maybe Dr. McVoy knows the name.

Now there can be a whole new syndrome dealing with a more specific range of phobia... that of a transgender city managers. It is little known in most of the world and has only recently been under study here in the states.

Then... you keep asking for the "reason" they let her go. What does it matter. She also wouldn't have needed a reason to leave, had she decided to do that. Maxwell was ALWAYS going to bring up firing the city manager. I was hoping for a second to the motion. That way discussion could at least begin as to what needed to be improved if she were to stay. Remember, the two sheep were voted out. You now have two independent thinkers.

The reason they fired her is because they didn't want her as city manager any longer and want a new direction. Some think it's backwards, some think like most of what the Post reports that that opinion is also wrong.

People keep posting the MANY reasons she was fired. Pick any ten. The commission doesn't have to account to you or me or anyone but themselves and those who elected them. By and large, it appears we approve of their decision.

Lynn Anderson said...

Well, since you addressed me personally, again, I will answer you.

I totally disagree with you. If the other side of politics had voted on something this important, take your pick, you people would be the first to scream bloody murder. There is no difference here. These elected officials answer to the PEOPLE, not just the handful of people who helped get them elected and keep yelling in their ears to do this or do that.

We absolutely should have had answers and reasons why they did this. If they had done that, there would not be all of this turmoil today and the PB Post writing heavily against their actions.

This is not a KINGDOM sitting on the dais no matter whether YOU think so or not. "WE" did not approive of this decision. "We" is not all about you.