Narragansett Town Manager Vacancy and a Compromise

Letter to the Editor:

Sir,

[PART II] 

I am happy to have the opportunity to speak with you again and shall do my best to honor the occasion.

For the second part to my lengthy letter addressed to you, I'll now address the concern(s) of the Town Council members who hold the belief that a pubic forum for the review of candidates via directed questioning might discourage individuals from applying. Yes, individuals who make public their intention to find a new career do run the risk of offending their current employers. Moreover, those applicants who are not chosen to be Narragansett's Town Manager -- and their will be many -- may experience awkwardness and discomfort at their current jobs following a public evaluation process. Are these considerations significant enough for an aspiring municipal planner to forgo the rare opportunity to fill a vacant Town Manager position? Absolutely not. When did we begin to accept this type of justification for the restraint of an individual's career ambitions? To apply for a new job while holding a different one is good form and a process every adult must manage for the same reason they are considered adults: professionalism. It's not personal; it's strictly business. 

With that in mind, it's important, nonetheless, to answer this question of form set before the members of the Town Council. Councilman McLaughlin succinctly framed the concern when he asked, "Don't you think that [subjecting applicants to a public forum] might discourage some very, very qualified candidates?" He continued, "Think of a person who's gainfully employed in our community. Would they subject themselves to a public hearing like that for a job?" To answer Councilman McLaughlin's last question: If they are adults then yes, absolutely. Narragansett is not considering a public forum for individuals seeking to be hired low-skilled jobs or menial labor. The job in question is arguably the most demanding, least secure, and most stressful position the Town has to offer: Town Manager. While the duties and responsibilities of Town Managers may vary from town to town, nonetheless, I understand the position to be the most critical municipal office. 

And so there are two issues the Narragansett Town Council must attend to: First, guaranteeing a democratic, open-forum for the public to vet the entire list of hopeful Town Managers. It is the public, after all, that gives life, substance, and meaning to a town. Second, easing the doubts and apprehensions for those applicants fearful of the blow-back from a public forum . These issues are not mutually exclusive; both can be satisfied by the Town Council. To do so, however, the Town Council must frame the forum -- and the need for a forum -- differently. 

It has been nearly a year since the Town of Narragansett has employed a full-time Town Manager. I consider that unacceptable, and I suspect many Narragansett residents and municipal officials agree. Therefore, instead of passively accepting applications, the Town Council could actively seek out and issue non-binding summons to qualified candidates, regardless of the intentions those candidates may hold. The qualified candidates can choose not to attend the forum. For those who have already applied for the position, the Town Council could issue a blanket statement to treat all candidates as summoned. The statement would uniformly include the names of those qualifying candidates who were summoned and the names of candidates who have applied or plan to do so. Applicant or not, the numerous candidates as a collective group could be labeled under one heading titled, "Qualifying Town Manager Candidates". The list will be given a ceiling, or sliding ceiling, of the total candidates allowed for consideration. Crucially, no distinction should be made between qualified, summoned candidates and applicant candidates. The summons should include an identification of the candidate's qualifying credentials, a description of the public forum where questions are to be conveyed, and the more intimate, directed inquiry to be made by the Town Council. 

If framed in this fashion, the hiring process would protect the private intentions of candidates who attend the public forum and dramatically reduce the likelihood they would suffer workplace discomfort or discrimination by their current employer. In other words, it would be justifiable for each candidate in this scenario to argue that they have simply chosen to perform their civic duty for the Town of Narragansett by entertaining the non-binding summons and, furthermore, have no intention of resigning from their current job. If all candidates can rely upon this 'escape clause' then they will all, collectively, support one another's privacy by their very omission of career intentions. 

The Town Council of Narragansett, as a municipal body, will, in one fell swoop, communicate its appreciation for: the public desire for transparency; the critical, professional role a full-time town manager fulfills and the long overdue need to fill that position; the reluctance of applicants to make public their wish to move from one career to another; and the Council's responsible choice to implement proactive, decisive solutions to local problems.