Approval of Agenda

Council Member Scheid made a motion to approve the agenda as presented, supported by Council Member Cooper.

The question on the motion was called and the result of the voting is as follows:

            Ayes:               Council Members Cooper, Scheid, Lallo, Jones and Gunderson.

            Nays:               None.

Interviews for interim city manager position

Bruce Brown

1.      Please tell us more about yourself from a personal perspective.

He was born in Lansing, Michigan.  He has a wife and they have two children.  He became a master in city planning.  By age 25 he had a series of career steps that were not planned.  One thing led to another.  He began public life as an economic development director.  He developed an attraction in Indianapolis with funding from the city, state and Lilly Endowment.  The governor and mayor asked him to take a look at that.  They created the White River Park, which is 256 acres, including a lot of different facilities.  He was the city manager of Kalamazoo.  He has worked in the private sector, was a real estate developer, worked for a real estate company.  He had a home building company in Grand Rapids.  In 2007, he sold the company.  In 2008, he received a call from the city council of Port Huron.  They had fired the city manager.  They needed someone for a couple of months.  He stayed six years.  They made significant changes.  It was a city in deep trouble with a 26% unemployment rate, a 49% vacancy rate in the industrial park, with a downtown that was dead.  There was no development. He brought people that could do things together, rather than individually.  That was a major accomplishment.  There had been no new homes in 27 years.  The unemployment rate was reduced to 11% and the vacancy rate in the industrial park was 9%.  He had an agreement to be an interim manager and was then named city manager.  They had a great time together.  He recruited James Freed for the city manager position and he took over in June.  He stayed on to help him in the transition for approximately two weeks.  He moved to Grand Rapids in September.  He has had a plethora of opportunities.  Ludington was considering a convention center.  He told them it would not work.  He is informally helping Muskegon on a convention center.  Kentwood is developing a technology park.  He is working for an organization in Muskegon on a long range physical development plan.  He is working on the organizational structure moving forward.

2.      Describe your human interaction skills and how you will establish your credibility with the mayor and council, staff and citizens?

His strength is in bringing people together.  He asked the staff in Port Huron about their relations with the county and they said they hated each other.  He called the county administrator, had lunch, and began a partnership which is going strong.  The staff was uncomfortable with the convention center and hotel.  He assumed they had agendas and things to accomplish.  They now have a strong working relationship.  He has an informal management style.  He expects department heads to run their show.  He tries not to get involved.  There were three townships and a city surrounding Port Huron.  They were always fighting and killing projects.  He brought the three supervisors and manager together for lunch and told them that it was not a competition. They had to work together.  They met once a month and did things together.  Each had a strength. They tried to get new industries in their area.  He was involved in one on one meetings with everyone in positions of leadership, including the school board, DDA, realtors, bankers, etc.  He spent a day here last week.  They will have to pull the scab off and look underneath.  It is a strong community.

3.      Describe your ideal working relationship with the elected officials, especially in terms of the roles each play and in communication.

He works for the city council.  In Port Huron, the city charter called for all council people to be elected at the same time, at large.  If they ran as a group, they could throw everyone out.  They have had nine city managers in eleven years.  It was the Siberia of the city manager world.  He would work closely with the mayor and each of the city council, but mostly with the mayor.  In Port Huron, there was a big disconnect between the former city manager and council and not nice games were going.  He wanted a transparent relationship.  Every Friday he wrote and sent out a report of who he met with, what he was doing, and the issues facing the community.  He solved the communication problem.  It was very transparent and open.  He had a good relationship with city council. 

4.      Tell us about your skills and experience in developing and administering a budget and capital improvements.

He is not a CPA, but knows enough about finance to be dangerous.  They had a balanced budget each year.  Property taxes and income taxes dropped.  Revenue sharing dropped.  They were working with less revenue but council didn’t want to cut services.  They streamlined city government.  They did not replace retirees.  They reduced the staff by 41 positions.  They were able to do everything they were doing for less money.  He brought the departments together.  A department head retired.  He combined it into a public service department.  He hired a former Chief of Police for the administrator.  Parks & Recreation and Parks were separate.  He brought them together and reduced staffing.  Some governments are bare bones and hurting.  Additional reductions would hurt the city.  He prepared the budget and worked with Public Works for capital improvements.  He went through the department budgets with the department heads.  He strengthened their ability. 

5.      Describe your management philosophy?

He implements the policies of the city council, and would be the face of city council in the community.  He would interact with citizens and reach out.  He had an event called Coffee with the Chief.  He had a TV program, City View, where he did weekly interviews with a cross section of leaders and ordinary people doing interesting things.  It was fairly popular.  The newsletter was expensive so they used the internet.  Department heads are hired because they are qualified, and he doesn’t micromanage them.  There are no surprises.  He needs to know about issues.  He has an open door. 

6.      What would be your top three priorities upon assuming the position?

He sees that the city is well maintained.  There are not the housing problems here that there were in Port Huron.  There was serious crime.  Mueller Brass is here as industrial.  The interim should not be a time of rest.  He met with the top ten employers.  He had an impact. 

7.      Describe your experience in human resource management.

A department head handled that full time.  It took a lot of time hiring people.  They used attrition to reduce staff levels.  He was concerned they did not have a staff manual.  There was no process for advancement within departments, so he worked on that.  One that retired was the HR director. In hiring department heads, they would advertise the position but if there was someone internal they would interview that person.  They hired inside and outside, to have the best person for the job. 

8.      Describe your experience in preparing staff reports for planning commissions and zoning board of appeals.

He lets department heads handle items before the city council.  A lot of information came up in the discussion.  Sometimes they wrote the report.  He would have them come to the podium and explain the issue.  He became involved in the things not covered by department heads.  He did things internally with staff. 

9.      Do you feel that the day-to-day dynamics of the city and the residents are an importance to you or do you feel that focusing on projects and grant applications should be the priority?

He enjoyed a good relationship with citizens of the community.  They had crime issues.  There was a serious drug situation.  It was not addressed.  There was a lot of anxiety and frustration.  There was city involvement in the neighborhoods.  There were 18 districts with a police officer assigned.  They had contact info and were in charge of maintaining order in the community.  The community did the policing.  They would report to the city. There were neighborhood meetings.  The biggest problem was communication, unless it was used purposely and consistently. 

10.  Describe how you would deal with an angry or confrontational citizen?

Face to face, as he is not into writing letters back and forth.  He did not use the phone.  He would rather meet them where they were comfortable or in his office.  They discuss how they could solve the issue.  On some issues, the city had screwed up and they resolved it.  Some issues are not resolvable.  He would leave the meeting with an amiable confrontation.  Sometimes there was not much he could do but he would give them the reasons.  They deserve an answer.

11.  Do you feel you can discern and understand the bottom line of a situation versus the political climate of the community?

Those are pretty related.  Every issue has a political side.  The key is balancing the politics and issue.  A lot of issues can be resolved before they are serious.  If they hear about it, deal with it.  The department heads had a serious issue and he brought them together.  He understands that the elected, political things will enter in.  His job is to create a culture of honesty and professionalism, and as elected officials, that they can be comfortable with.  He doesn’t dismiss the political side.  It is part of the job.  He did a multi-year small increase in water rates that would not be devastating from a political standpoint.  His predecessor was fired because of a water increase.  They had to separate all the combined sewers. 

12.  Why do you think you will be successful at this job?

He has done everything he could possibly do in life.  He likes to work.  He has been a student of government many years.  He is well qualified.  Port Huron is the best example.  He met their requirements and moved the city to exciting things.  There is $65M in projects underway.  They will build a hotel that he began talking about five years ago.  It is a relationship thing.  He knows how to do that and run government.

13.  How would you want to be measured on your job performance?

The proof is in the pudding.  Port Huron saw something in the first two months and was satisfied with the progress.  If at any point there was an issue between the city council and manager, he would say goodbye.  Some have sued the city council.  They have bad talked the community.  That is a stupid thing to do. 

14.  Do you feel that upholding zoning and other ordinances are important?  How have you dealt with this issue in the past?

He hears from citizens about their individual and property rights.  Some rights are reserved for the city.  Zoning and planning activities that seem to infringe on property rights are for order and government excellence.  He enforces the ordinances.  If they feel strongly that something is wrong with the ordinance, they should change it.  The ordinances come from many years of experience. 

15.  What do you consider to be your most significant professional accomplishment?

White River Park was the flashiest.  It was 256 acres.  They cleared it and had a design team of international designers.  They created a very special place.  They had a lot of money.  The Lilly Foundation Endowment, city and state were dedicated to it.  It was a lot of facilities.  He put together a city committee of 25 people that could make things happen.  He had the ability to connect with money, politics, sports figures, and they operated below the radar.  They met with Bob Irsay and they moved the Baltimore Colts to Indianapolis.  They did not do it for credit.  The Port Huron experience was the most significant, as they were in serious trouble.  They were down on themselves and didn’t think the city amounted to much.  It was the combination of economic development, leadership and structure to supersede the individuals that was very important, and it is still going. 

16.  Is there anything that you would like to add to our discussion or do you have any questions for us?

A lot of what he is interested in will happen when he is on the job and starts asking questions.  He is interested in what the top two issues may be, which may be finances and long term development, and what will they do?  What would they really like to get done?

Council Member Jones stated there are businesses, Dan and Debbie Blunt who have a good operation, Cooper Refrigeration, Bob Jakeway Construction and Craig from Nature’s Needs.  He would like to vastly improve on community relations.  The transparency is not as good as it should be.  The Downtown Development Authority is in the process of redistricting.  Electrolux was part of the DDA, and with the removal of the building, it cost the DDA dearly.  They are trying to work on redistricting to get in a positive cash flow.  The mall is pretty limited, and the commercial area is on M-44 by Subway.  Retail and industrial are two big things in town.  The tax rate is 18 mills.  The taxes paid for similar housing is quite a bit more than in surrounding communities.  They don’t have enough business or industry.  He manages a parts store.  The taxes for residential will be higher.  Community relations is number one.

Council Member Cooper stated he would echo Mr. Jones regarding community relations, and the need to bridge the gap with business and citizens to build a better Belding.  If there is synergy between the business district and city, they can expand and do business within the city.  In the immediate is transparency related to FOIA issues.  There is some confusion on the boards and their direction.  He wants more of a unified front to move the city forward. 

Council Member Scheid stated they do need to develop some kind of way to get business or industry in here.  Infrastructure is suffering as they don’t have the tax base.  The downtown has suffered the most because of Electrolux.  The DEQ did nothing with the contaminants.  The M-44 corridor, business district, has room for more businesses.  They have to figure out a way to market the city.  The city had 178 empty houses and the school system has shrunk. 

Council Member Jones stated the city did videos 3-4 years ago. 

Mr. Brown stated when they brought someone in with development experience, he started to negotiate for the City Flats Hotel to come in five years ago.  There is not a lot a city can do from a commercial and industrial side, as far as tax giveaways.  They can help a developer with utilities and environmental surveys.  There was a Great Lakes Pilots Association, and when the freighters come through, they have to have an American pilot take them through the Great Lakes if it is international.  They had inadequate headquarters.  There was a real push from Sarnia for a headquarters.  They asked what it would take to keep it in Port Huron, a building?  They wanted help with the architectural plans, so they split the $9,000 with them.  Somebody has to shake the bushes and make deals. 

Council Member Lallo stated there is a lot of traffic on M-44 and M-91, and they need to get people down this way.  The Electrolux property will be a major issue in the near future.  Communication with residents and businesses is important. 

Mayor Gunderson stated he would echo what has been said.  They need to build trust with the residents, industry and business owners. They need something in the mall for revenue.  Build the town back up.  The main word is trust. 

Mr. Brown stated it is doable, but takes time. 

Council Member Jones asked, when they are talking interim city manager, is there a time limit? 

Mr. Brown stated as long as he is healthy and has his mental capabilities, there is no time frame.  There are several communities that want him to do consulting, but he would focus here.  There would be no time limit.  There needs to be a pretty concentrated effort on what is happening here and where it needs to go.

Reid Charles

1.      Please tell us more about yourself from a personal perspective.

He started working part time in Wichita in 1963.  The rest of his life was spent in city government.  He managed several cities.  He worked in several states and areas from 200 to 300,000 in population.  He managed a workforce of 3,000.  He has overseen several major operations in his lifetime.  He was one of the youngest city managers at the time.  He has worked in strong mayor, council-manager, and town meeting, which is the equivalent of city council, mayor, and manager with responsibilities.  The diversity he brings is very strong.  He started out in big cities.  He has done interim assignments.  He described the different locations and positions he held over his career.  He has had diversity of people and experiences.  He would be an asset to them.  Belding had some growth.  The downtown has fallen to the fate of a downtown mall.  There needs to be something to go beyond that.  They should look toward the future and work toward that end.  He is an AICP and ICMA member.

2.      Describe your human interaction skills and how you will establish your credibility with the mayor and council, staff and citizens?

He tries to meet with the mayor and council, and staff to try to get an understanding of operations.  He is active in community groups.  He has an open door policy at all times.  He tries to provide an update on a weekly basis.  If council wants to meet, he will do it any time.  He has no preconceived idea with staff.  He wants to work with people. He does not have a heavy hand.  He listens to staff and takes advice, they work together as a team and he holds weekly staff meetings.  He gets input and ideas.  He wants people to be interactive.  It is not a dictatorship and he works with council as they wish back and forth.   

3.      Describe your ideal working relationship with the elected officials, especially in terms of the roles each play and in communication.

He has a uniform communication policy.  The mayor and council get everything once a week.  He doesn’t get into gossip.  It is his job to run the city and make sure the community is served in the best way possible.  He would be committed to this community and no other.  He would try to understand the issues with council.  If he has a request by one council member, they each get it.

4.      Tell us about your skills and experience in developing and administering a budget and capital improvements.

He developed the budget system in Lincoln and it is still state of the art.  They use the format. He established programs, goals and performance measures, and made sure the budget stayed within budget.  He did not impact the people with service reductions.  State funding is very unpredictable here.  They did away with the personal property tax.  That may be a 5-10% impact. Replacement will be very limited.  They must deal with the future of the community or put it further behind. 

5.      Describe your management philosophy?

He manages by exception.  He doesn’t know everything but enough to be dangerous.  If he needed to talk with a department head he would do it quietly and correctly.  If they don’t respond he is in their operations and they don’t want him there.  He doesn’t tell them how to do their job, but if something is wrong, he asks questions. 

6.      What would be your top three priorities upon assuming the position?

He is very familiar with doing a budget and requests should be in.  He would get acquainted with staff as soon as possible.  He would see what council is looking for.  He would find out what else is in the community.  They must address the budget issue.  He can get up to speed without much problem.

7.      Describe your experience in human resource management.

He has written handbooks and been involved in labor negotiations for years.  He has an outside negotiator sitting in.  He would sit down and find the objectives of council in the union negotiations.  Very few impasses were reached. 

8.      Describe your experience in preparing staff reports for planning commissions and zoning board of appeals.

Normally staff does that.  He has done those and he tries to make it as thorough as possible.  He describes a problem and does an analysis.  The ZBA decisions must stand up legally and meet criteria for the state law.  They must provide a justification

9.      Do you feel that the day-to-day dynamics of the city and the residents are an importance to you or do you feel that focusing on projects and grant applications should be the priority?

His first priority is the people of the city.  The staff exists for projects and grants.  He would provide direction.

10.  Describe how you would deal with an angry or confrontational citizen?

He doesn’t want a gun because of what he has been in the middle of.  He would find out what the problem is and see if it can be resolved.  If not, he would notify council.

11.  Do you feel you can discern and understand the bottom line of a situation versus the political climate of the community?

Absolutely.  He has worked in different communities.  He has to be involved and listen.  He would describe the best options.  Sometimes it is a political answer.  He is the bridge between administration and council, also between council, administration and the community.

12.  Why do you think you will be successful at this job?

Most times he was very successful.  He has a lot of experience in being an interim.  He would get the job done.  He has a wealth of knowledge.  He would look at things objectively.

13.  How would you want to be measured on your job performance?

He would like to be measured on getting things done in the community.  He would turn around a split community because he has national experience to draw from.  He has access to a lot of stuff in the state.  He keeps up on what is going on.  His son is a city manager. 

14.  Do you feel that upholding zoning and other ordinances are important?  How have you dealt with this issue in the past?

It is important, but he looks at it beyond strict black and white.  He sees opportunities to change.  Zoning needs to be flexible, and new tools have come along to make changes.

15.  What do you consider to be your most significant professional accomplishment?

His ability to get things done. 

16.  Is there anything that you would like to add to our discussion or do you have any questions for us?

He asked how soon they would want somebody?  He could be available this week if necessary. 

Council Member Jones asked what was his timeframe or length of time he would be available?

Mr. Charles stated he would be available as long as they need him.  He is flexible.  He enjoys what he does and is good at what he does.  He would stay during the week and commit to the community.  He would have a two hour drive. 

Council Member Scheid made a motion to nominate Bruce Brown for interim city manager, supported by Council Member Cooper. 

Council Member Jones stated in reviewing both gentlemen, they could not go wrong with either one.  Both would be a good fit for this position.  Both said they could stay on longer.  They may want to review their timetable for selecting a city manager.  They may want to slow that pace to get something done. 

Mayor Gunderson stated they were both qualified, the presentations were different, but the intent was still there.

Council Member Lallo stated both brought so much knowledge, they can’t go wrong with either one.  What best fits their needs now is Mr. Brown. 

Council Member Scheid stated they both have impressive resumes.  Mr. Brown lives in Kentwood.  His experience in Port Huron says a lot about him.  It is very impressive.  People in Grand Rapids know him.  He is called the storm calmer.  He has done other things besides being city manager.  His background is impressive.

Council Member Lallo stated they mentioned issues, including community and business relations, growth and trust.  He would fit their needs about concerns and issues.  He was impressed with the knowledge Charles had of ZBA and his weekly reports to council.    

Ayes:               Council Members Cooper, Scheid, Lallo, Jones and Gunderson

Nays:               None

Adjournment

Council Member Scheid moved to adjourn the meeting, supported by Council Member Jones.

Ayes:               Council Members Cooper, Scheid, Lallo, Jones and Gunderson.

            Nays:               None.

The Mayor adjourned the meeting at 9:11 p.m.