By Don Henninger | The SCOTT Perspective
Like many of you, we’re about ready to break for a few weeks for the summer. I have one hope for when we all reconnect with each other come August.
That hope is this. That the Scottsdale City Council is not still wrestling with who will be their next city manager.
Jim Thompson, by all counts external and internal, is doing a superb job of running the city and he would like to continue doing it.
A few days ago, the council asked staff to explore options for recruiting a new city manager. That seemed to come out of the blue and made observers wonder why is it that some people in our city have a knack for creating controversies where none exist? Why waste time and create distractions to fill a position that already is producing excellent results with its current leader?
The council made this decision apparently without mentioning it to Thompson beforehand. Is that a way to treat the top executive in your organization?
Thompson told the council last year that he was reconsidering his job status for family reasons but agreed to stay on to help the staff handle what was going to be an epic events season in the city. So he was given a contract that runs through October.
As the year went on, Thompson said his personal issues changed and he wanted to stay on the job for longer. And thus, the rub. Since his contract is coming to an end, rather than simply renew it, the council decided in the name of “transparency” and being fair to the community, to ask their Human Resources staffers to report back with options.
Before they break for the summer, they should reconsider that, extend Thompson’s contract and quit wasting everyone’s time. The process of reappointing a city manager already is open and transparent; he is the best person for the job, and the success of our city speaks for itself. He has served city residents and employees well, and the city’s good financial health and overall resident satisfaction ratings are a result of his leadership.
But here’s something else we found of interest. In doing our weekly Today and Tomorrow in Scottsdale podcast over the past year or so, we have interviewed a dozen high-level employees about their jobs and what it’s like working for the city. And at one point or another in each of those discussions, the culture of the city’s work environment was cited as an important factor in their success.
To give you a sense, here’s who we talked to:
Forensic services director Kris Cano; city engineer Alison Tymkiw; chief information officer Bianca Lochner; sustainability director Lisa McNeilly; events and tourism director Karen Churchard; diversity director Jackie Johnson; aviation director Gary Mascaro. We also interviewed five people in the police department, including Chief Jeff Walther, and Fire Chief Tom Shannon.
Good culture starts at the top. That’s something Thompson has made a key part of how he leads the day-to-day operations of the city.
I wonder if city leaders have talked to key employees about Thompson’s leadership. If not, they should. And if they did, they surely would find they don’t need to explore options for a new city manager. They already have the best candidate working there now.
Don Henninger, executive director of SCOTT, can be reached at donh@scottsdale.com
