Woodbury Begins National Search for New City Administrator

General Interest
Meeting Date: Tuesday, April 8, 2025
Story generated: Aug 5, 2025
Focus: City administrator retirement announcement and succession planning process

The City of Woodbury announced Tuesday that longtime City Administrator Clint Gridley will retire in June after 21 years of service, prompting the city to launch a national search for his replacement.

The city has contracted with government consultant Dave Unmacht, former executive director of the League of Minnesota Cities, to develop a position profile for the role. Baker Tilly, a recruitment firm, will conduct the national search process. Baker Tilly began reviewing applications and screening candidates the week of April 7, with the City Council scheduled to meet in closed session April 30 to select finalists. On-site interviews with final candidates are planned for late May.

Gridley joined Woodbury as its third city administrator in 2004 and oversaw significant growth and development during his tenure. Under his leadership, the city's population expanded from approximately 50,000 to more than 80,000 residents, making Woodbury the eighth largest city in Minnesota. Commercial property in the city grew from 7.2 million square feet in 2004 to more than 13.7 million square feet today.

Major projects completed during Gridley's tenure include the ongoing construction of a water treatment plant, remodeling and expansion of the M Health Fairview Sports Center, and construction of a splash pad and Madison's Place universally-accessible playground. The city maintained high service levels as measured by biennial community surveys and annual performance programs.

The city administrator position provides guidance to the City Council on policy development and strategic planning while managing daily city operations. Responsibilities include supervising department heads, developing the annual budget and capital improvement plan, and representing the city in negotiations and intergovernmental discussions.

This story was created by artificial intelligence (a large language model) based on the proceedings captured in the video below.

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Meeting Analysis

The City of Woodbury announces the upcoming retirement of longtime City Administrator Clint Gridley after 21 years of service, effective June 2025. The city has initiated a comprehensive national search process with consultant Dave Unmacht and recruitment firm Baker Tilly to find his replacement. The meeting highlights Gridley's significant accomplishments including major capital projects, organizational growth, and his role in the city's expansion from 50,000 to over 80,000 residents, making Woodbury the eighth largest city in Minnesota.

Source Document
Focus: Original document text

In June, our longtime city administrator, Clint Gridley, will retire after leading our city staff for the last 21 years. We're starting the process of seeking and selecting our next city administrator, the highest level non-elected member of the organization. To help us search for qualified candidates, we contracted with local government consultant Dave Unmocked to help develop a position profile. unmocked. The former executive director of the League of Minnesota Cities had preliminary conversations with community leaders, the city council, and city staff, and developed a list of qualifications and leadership skills the organization is seeking in its next city administrator. Baker Tilly, a recruitment firm, will assist in conducting a national search for Clint's replacement. The tenative recruitment process calls for Baker Chile to begin reviewing applications and screening applicants. The week of April 7th, the city will receive a list of semi-finalists and begin reviewing candidate materials in midappril. The city council will meet with Baker Tilly in a closed session April 30th to select the finalists and develop the remaining interview process. On-site finalist interviews will take place in late May. The city administrator provides guidance to the city council in policy development, strategic planning, and decision-making. The position is also responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of the city, and ensuring that policies and laws are effectively implemented. Additional responsibilities include, but are not limited to, supervising department heads, developing and administering the annual budget and capital improvement plan, promoting transparency, accountability, and ethical governance in all operations, cultivating partnerships, anticipating future community needs, developing long-term strategies to maintain and enhance city services, and representing the city in negotiations, public meetings, and intergovernmental discussions. Since Clint joined the city as its third city administrator in 2004, he helped guide multiple major capital improvement projects and initiatives, including the construction of a water treatment plant currently underway, the remodeling and expansion of the M Health Fairview Sports Center, including the construction of the splash pad and Madison's Place universally accessible playground, implementing organizational development changes as the organization evolved and grew, and maintaining a high level of city services as indicated on the bianial community survey and annual performance measurement program. During his tenure, square footage of commercial property in the city boomed from 7.2 million square feet in 2004 to more than 13.7 million square feet today. During the same span, our population grew from a little more than 50,000 to more than 80,000, making us the eighth largest city in the state today. But Clint's nearly 21 years of leadership have produced much more than the completion of projects. He also served in leadership and advocacy roles with the International City County Management Association, the Minnesota City County Managers Association, Metro Area Managers Association, Municipal Legislative Commission, League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust, and Metro Cities. By announcing his retirement plans early, Clint provided us with time to carry out an effective recruitment process for selecting his replacement. We are in a good position to ensure this is a smooth transition in leadership. I appreciate the six years I've spent working at Clint's side, not only for his professional dedication to our residents, but also for his authenticity, kindness, and thoughtfulness. I'd also like to thank Clint's wife, Sibila, and their family for sharing Clint with us for countless evening and weekend meetings and events over the last 21 years. Woodbury has benefited significantly from Clint's tireless work ethic. On behalf of a grateful community, thank you, Clint, and enjoy your muchdeserved retirement.

This story was created by artificial intelligence (a large language model) based on the proceedings captured in the video below.

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