With the word that Village Manager Marc Cundiff has applied for the city manager job in Sidney and is one of five finalists, I’ve started thinking again about our village’s position in the world order. If Cundiff gets the job, it would definitely be a step up for him. In his chosen career, that’s the way it is supposed to happen; every few years you add your current job to your resume and look for something better. Cundiff started in Yellow Springs in the end of 2008. Three years later, he is ready to move on. Sound familiar? Cundiff’s predecessor, Eric Swansen, stayed for a similar length of time before heading for the west coast for a job that provided a larger salary and more responsibility.Some skeptics might say it is our local politics that drive them away every few years, as was certainly the case with our last school superintendent. But every town has its unique problems and nothing is more heated or passionate than local politics. The professionals know that and they are usually prepared to deal with it. We have only to look at Dayton for an example of a City Manager stepping stone on a larger scale. Every few years, the manager search begins all over again. It’s a shame, because it is expensive and disruptive, and, as is the case right now as we are moving around upper level staff positions, it often comes at the most inconvenient time.
The question for us is, “How can we avoid this kind of turnover?” The simple answer is shop local. If we get someone from here, he or she is likely to remain here. In fact, Cundiff is returning to a town where he has roots. If we have the talent to fill the position right here in the village, this should be the first place we look for our next village manager. The problem is that’s a big if.
Related post: Cundiff looking for new job
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2 comments:
I agree, that looking for someone local might help to resolve some of the problems of turnover.
I have 2 major concerns here. One being that we are also looking for a new police chief, a difficult thing to do during a possible change of Village Manager (the person who would do the hiring and work most closely with a Police Chief). My other concern is that this is clearly NOT the time to make major sweeping changes in other top village jobs. It doesn't seem like the time to reorganize the Village Management team and loose the expertise of two top managers. I think it should be the call of a new Manager to determine the make up of his/her staff, the kind of support needed to create a workable team based on his/her skills.
The Yellow Springs School District and the Village of Yellow Springs are much better off with the departure of the individuals mentioned. Their departures were fueled by poor performance. We are fortunate to currently have both the School District and the Village under the direction of competent and progressive administrators. Mr. Cundiff, once the Assistant City Manager in Sidney has long-standing ties to that community. The City Manager position in Sidney is obviously an opportunity that is difficult for him to ignore.
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