City manager search hits a bump
Some applicants for the city manager's job have pulled out because of a perception the Juneau Assembly has decided to hire John MacKinnon, Mayor Sally Smith said Wednesday.
On the advice of consultant Chris Hartung, the Assembly will consider on Dec. 13 whether to interview MacKinnon, a former Assembly member who has been serving as interim city manager, at a later date, she said.
A three-person Assembly search committee had planned on Wednesday to compile a list of finalists to come to Juneau for interviews on Dec. 6, Smith said. That did not happen because "a couple of people in the applicant pool who contacted people in Juneau were given the impression that this was an exercise and they would not be seriously considered," she said.
"And they didn't want to go forward with the process and having their employers know they were looking for work if, in fact, they didn't have a chance of getting that work," she said.
MacKinnon was hired as the city's interim manager in June to replace outgoing manager Dave Palmer. Under the city's charter, MacKinnon can serve as interim city manager for only one year and cannot serve as city manager until two years after leaving the Assembly. MacKinnon stepped down from the Assembly in October 2001 because of term limits. If MacKinnon serves one year as interim manager and is hired as city manager, the city will face a 113-day leadership gap.
After a closed-door discussion in September, the Assembly decided to consider MacKinnon's application with those from other applicants.
The city received 67 applications for the job. Hartung, who is employed by the Waters Consulting Group in Texas, said he has been working from a list of about one dozen people. Two people on that list are from Alaska, he said.
"At this point, there is no group of finalists because I haven't made a recommendation," he said. Hartung said he wouldn't make a recommendation until after Dec. 13.
Of the original list, six people have withdrawn for various reasons, Hartung said. The Assembly's position on hiring MacKinnon is a concern of some people who pulled out and some people who remain, he said.
"This is a public business and everyone understands it, but people who have a job are sensitive to creating situations that are going to cause hard feelings," he said. "They don't mind doing that if they feel like they have an open shot at the position."
If the Assembly decides to interview MacKinnon, he will be interviewed first, said Assembly member Jeannie Johnson, who is on the search committee.
"I'm hoping it doesn't turn into a very divisive issue and we don't end up with one side against another. I don't think that's good for our town and I don't think it's good for city staff," she said. "I'm very open minded about this."
Assembly member Merrill Sanford, who joined the search committee this month, said he hasn't made a decision, either.
"I don't think that anybody in that room has their mind made up," he said. "We're still in the process of trying to figure out what to do. ... That's why we think it's so important for all nine members to be there and all take part in that decision."
Smith said she doesn't know if the Assembly is leaning toward hiring MacKinnon.
"Everybody thinks he's doing a good job and certainly feels he's worthy of consideration, but we don't know who we're comparing him to," she said. "I don't think we really know what to do. For me, I was hopeful the interviews with the other candidates were going to give me a clearer picture of what I'm going to do."
The Assembly is scheduled to meet at noon Dec. 13 to discuss MacKinnon's interview. The meeting likely will be closed to the public, Smith said.
Joanna Markell can be reached at joannam@juneauempire.com.