City Utilities’ General Manager Search Committee unanimously approved its Jan. 12 agenda to include citizen input and consider the recruitment services of six companies in its process to replace John Twitty, who is retiring in June.
The committee, which is now comprised of five members instead of six, will provide a questionnaire and comment area at www.cityutilities.net. It also will name an 11-member citizens’ advisory committee to host two public forums: 6–8 p.m. Feb. 8 at The Library Center and Feb. 23 at The Library Station.
Board Chairman Patrick Platter, attorney at the law offices of Neale & Newman LLC, said the citizens’ committee would represent customers with a range of opinions and experiences. “The group should represent a cross-section of the community,” Platter said.
The search committee is leaning against hiring a full-time consultant though no determination has been made yet, according to CU spokesman Joel Alexander. Utility board member Krystal Compas of Drury University has said the cost of hiring a full-time consultant could be more than $80,000. It’s not yet known how much it would cost to work with one of the six recruiting firms under consideration, though that option is expected to cost less than a full-time consultant. No cost ceiling was set at the Jan. 12 meeting, but several committee members have expressed a desire to keep costs low through the hiring process.
Alexander said a professional selection committee would determine which firm would be chosen. No members had been named to that group as of Jan. 13, but there should be around six members chosen and the committee should include members of the public board that are not a part of the search committee, Alexander said.
Platter said the committee named some of the qualifications it hopes to find in Twitty’s replacement at the Jan. 4 meeting.
“The job description we were discussing contemplates 10 years experience in either electrical operations, natural gas operations or water operations,” Platter said.
He said the committee felt public utility experience would be desirable but not required. The five members of the search committee are Tom Rankin, vice president of Sperry Van Ness/Rankin Co. LLC; Tom Finnie, retired Springfield city manager; Mike Peters, St. John’s vice president of public affairs; Lisa Officer, accountant and former CU Board of Public Utilities chairwoman; and Platter, chairman of the executive committee, which established the search committee.
Rankin was named search committee chairman on Jan. 4.
SBJ had reported the concerns expressed by utility board member Dan Scott of Jericho Development Co. in a letter to members of CU’s executive committee after they had named a six-member search committee in December, which effectively gave them a majority of the 11-member board. Former board chairman Mark McNay of SMC Packaging Group was not included in the official search committee, though he was originally named a member.
Alexander said the five-member board was established to alleviate concerns about the search committee representing a majority of the board. At the Dec. 15 meeting, it was determined that all 11 members of the board would be able to attend and offer recommendations at each search committee meeting.
Alexander said the questionnaire to collect citizen input should be on the CU Web site after Jan. 17. He said CU employees also would have questionnaires available to them.
The search committee established an informal timeline it hopes to meet in the selection process. If met, candidate interviews would occur in March, a decision would be made by April 8, and the new general manager would be in place by May 9.[[In-content Ad]]
