08/05/2003 Meeting Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Council Minutes of 8/S/03 make an administration look bad by not allowing him to fill a position, that's going to come back against Council even more so than it would the mayor. This will serve as a check and balance. He believes it is incumbent upon Council to make sure they aze delivering services of government to the residents in the best form possible. This will be the choice of the residents as they will vote on the Charter change. Councilman Miller noted the purpose is also to ensure the methodology of selecting directors. He appreciates the way the Service Director was selected. It wasn't as thorough in the past. If Council is satisfied that a thorough search was done and an appropriate effort was brought forward to present the best candidate possible, he doesn't see that Council, particularly two-thirds, would do anything to block such an appointment. Even this evening, he encouraged the Mayor to fill nine different positions. They encouraged the Mayor, for each of the positions that have been vacant over the past couple of years, to fill those positions with the right people. He feels strongly that Council all wants to see the best persons in the directors' chairs and are not going to handicap a mayor, the citizens and themselves. Councilwoman Kasler said the intemion or basis for legislation in no small way was based on the number of directors that have come and gone over the past couple of years. It brought to mind questions of credentials. The first thought was is there a way they can provide for requiring certain credentials or criteria of appoirned directors. As they looked into that, it became a difficuh task. It would have infringed upon any mayor's discretionary power to appoint a director if credentials that were established were too rigid. Council settled on the approach of being in on the initial step and seeing what candidates are being brought forth and having the power not to approve but rather to reject, by asuper-majority, a perhaps unqualified candidate. She anticipates that occumng extremely infrequerrtly. Because by asking a mayor to present candidates to Council inherently brings it a step up and requires that there be a basis and a rationale for bringing that person to them. It automatically increases the credentials and qualifications and the best candidate being brought forward. It is a check and balance issue. She thinks Council owes it to the residents of the city to do that. She believes checks and balances are probably the basis for good government. Mayor Musial said the reason for the hiatus in making appointments is to take his time. It is difficult to get people to volunteer to serve. With regard to director appointments, he makes no apology for the appoinments of the previous Service Directors. There hasn't been any complaint as to the services that they have provided to the city. He is opposed to Council having the opportunity to not only eat the first bite of the apple but also to finish the apple by having the opportunity to approve in both instances. Mrs. Kasler said she wanted to make sure that it is very clearly understood this is not a personal issue. This is an issue that was given rise to by some situations that have occurred that have brought forward the issue of credentials. That question led to the possibility of a Charter amendment that would address a checks and balances and good government on behalf of the sponsors of that legislation. The decision does not lie with Council; it is appropriately brought before the people to decide. 12