Mebane’s city council is apparently back to square one in its search for a new city manager.
Former city manager Chris Rollins’ last day on the job before his retirement was July 23.
Search consultant Steve Straus of Developmental Associates summarized to the council Monday night the current status of the search. Straus noted that neither he nor the council members were “pleased with the depth of the [36] candidates” who initially applied for the position. Only a couple of good candidates emerged, he said, but not as many as he had thought appropriate.
Straus said there had been some “timing issues and perception issues about the openness of this position” that had curtailed the number and caliber of the applicants.
Straus seemed to refer to the widespread perception that the application was essentially a pro forma process when the city’s underlying intent was to elevate assistant city manager Preston Mitchell, who is serving as the interim city manager since Rollins’ retirement.
He described Mitchell as a “very well known outstanding assistant city manager” and said he felt there was an assumption among those considering applying that he would be elevated into the position and advertising the vacancy was “more pro forma than real.”
In both of the previous two selections of city manager, then-assistant city managers (David Cheek and later Chris Rollins) were elevated to the manager’s position without a search process.
As a result of the inadequacy of the first batch of applicants, the process is being “rebooted,” Straus said, with a new sequence of advertising for the position, a new application period, and a new timeframe for interviews and ultimately a selection.
Straus said he is optimistic about the caliber of people he has spoken with since the first application period closed, and he is confident that there will be a turnaround in the quality of future applicants for the job.
Straus said the new cycle would begin sometime between mid-August and September 1, lasting eight to 10 weeks before making a final selection. He explained that the likelihood is that the position will not be filled until January.
