Bloomington Council Votes for Nationwide City Manager Search
The Bloomington City Council voted 5-2 during a special meeting Monday to hire a search firm for a nationwide search for the city's next permanent city manager, rejecting calls from some members to directly appoint the current acting manager.
The decision came after extensive debate about process requirements and confidence in acting City Manager Elizabeth Tolsman's capabilities. Council members who supported the search process cited the need for a defensible decision-making process and thorough vetting of candidates.
I look at the city charter to kind of guide me in this process here and it really kind of talks about the types of training experiences and the administrative qualifications that are needed for appointment or selection of a city manager," said Council Member Malman, who supported the search process. "At this point, I don't have the information from the process that we have to be able to make an informed decision.
Council members opposing the search argued that Tolsman has already proven her capabilities in the acting role. Council Member Nelson questioned why the council would conduct a search when they chose not to hire an interim city manager, effectively asking Tolsman to perform the duties. "If we didn't have confidence in them to do this job, we would have hired an interim city manager. We didn't," Nelson said.
The mayor emphasized that the search process must be expedited and demanded full participation from all council members. Staff will initiate the search firm contract immediately, with council members expected to prioritize participation in the selection process meetings.
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Other Topics from This Document
Appointment of City Manager
Evaluation of search committee process versus direct appointment
City Charter requirements for City Manager qualifications
Expediting the selection process for the City Manager
Contracting with an external search firm
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