City Councillor Brian Hatleberg has assumed leadership of the effort to select members for the Screening Committee, which will play a crucial role in the City Manager selection process. Council President Leo Robinson designated him chair of the Committee last week.
Serving alongside Hatleberg are three other councillors: Joe Perlatonda, Calvin Brown and Dan Cortell. With a schedule now in place, Hatleberg and his colleagues are prepared to identify the most qualified individuals from Chelsea to fill positions on the panel. The Screening Committee will work with the Collins Center to review resumes during intensive executive (private) sessions, reducing what is likely 30 or 40 applications down to approximately four or five finalists.
According to Hatleberg, selecting the right people for this task is essential. “fblikebutton_button”I can tell you already we have probably had about 10 resumes submitted and 50 people express interest in some way, shape or form for this Screening Committee,⟧ he explained. The goal is to put in place a Screening Committee that broadly represents the community from many perspectives. It is something like a ‘Blue Chip Panel’ that everyone in the community can look at, recognize and say, ‘I trust those guys.’…It will be people with some pretty deep experience.⟧
The Committee will select four members, with a fifth position going to former Lowell City Manager Bernie Lynch, who will volunteer his expertise. Lynch participated in a January public forum organized by several non-profits to discuss the qualities and responsibilities of an effective city manager. We brought him in on this because we want someone who has been a city manager and has perspective as to what it takes to execute the details of the job,⟧ Hatleberg said.
The timeline is tight. We will present a slate of four people to the City Council for a vote on March 23 for the Screening Committee,⟧ Hatleberg stated. The deadline for city manager applications to be in is March 31 so our Committee will need to be ready to go by then.⟧
Those interested in serving should act quickly. Hatleberg has scheduled a meeting for March 9, following the regular City Council meeting, to begin public discussion about the Screening Committee. A second meeting on March 10 will address any remaining matters. The goal right now is to get the message out to the public that if anyone has interest in being on the Screening Committee, we are asking them to send us a letter of interest, a resume or something like that before that March 9 meeting,⟧ he said.
Prospective Committee members should understand the commitment involved. Hatleberg indicated the position would require approximately a 20-hour commitment compressed into a short timeframe. The Collins Center will likely conduct a full weekend of off-site interviews with candidates on Saturday and Sunday. Additionally, participants must attend two weekly meetings.
Those wishing to apply for the Screening Committee should email a letter of interest and resume to [email protected].
We are rolling,⟧ Hatleberg said. The Collins Center has pamphlet out there and the ads are out there. The position of city manager is being advertised now.⟧