Article published Jan 13, 2008

City Commission meets candidates for top manager

By RICHARD ECKE

Tribune Staff Writer

Four candidates for Great Falls city manager put their best feet forward Saturday.

James Patrick, the Kalispell city manager, contracted whooping cough and had to miss his interview, officials said.

The four other candidates fielded questions Saturday from the five members of the City Commission.

"I think they all have the background," said Rick Evans, former Great Falls Area Chamber of Commerce chief executive, who listened to all four candidates. A handful of people trickled in to hear from the candidates.

City Manager John Lawton is retiring.

Following the interviews, commissioners closed the meeting to discuss the candidates' qualifications. A Tribune representative said the newspaper favored keeping the meeting open. City officials cited individual privacy for closing the session, saying the candidates opted for privacy.

Late Saturday afternoon, Mayor Dona Stebbins said commissioners had reached a consensus on a favorite candidate, and had authorized consultant Jerry Oldani to begin negotiating terms with that person.

Stebbins said she could not release any additional information, including the leading candidate's name.

Earlier, two candidates expressed their affinity for this part of the country during their interviews.

"I love the West," said Mark A. Winson, former chief administrative officer for the city of Duluth, Minn., who once lived in Colorado. "We've been trying to get out West (again)."

He has been looking for a city manager position west and south of Duluth, "because it's cold there," he joked.

Winson, who has a background as a civil engineer, cited several strengths.

"Integrity is my keystone," he said. "I'm an active listener, and I'm able to communicate across all levels."

He said he is able to translate jargon into plain English for a variety of groups. Winson noted Great Falls "has some of the lowest utility rates in the nation."

Another candidate, Franklin, N.H., City Manager Gregory T. Doyon, said his wife has relatives in the Kalispell area, and he has caught "the Big Sky bug."

"We have been looking for opportunities to relocate to the West," he said. "It's a great place to live, bottom line."

Doyon said his approach with commissioners, staff and the public would be "open, honest and straightforward with all of them." He added he has a knack for anticipating issues that will come up.

Doyon said that when he took over in Franklin the staff was demoralized.

"I'm here to help you do your jobs better," Doyon said he told skeptical department heads in Franklin.

"I could just see it in their faces," Doyon said. He said it took some time, but his staff "bought into it" and has become "a super team."

Michael L. Stampfler, former city manager of Portage, Mich., cited communication as "probably the No. 1 thing the city manager is responsible for."

Stampfler said he would try to keep residents informed — and not just about burning issues. He said he would prefer to tackles issues "before they reach a crisis."

In one case, Stampfler opted to privatize city water and sewer services, a move he said "saved the ratepayers $750,000 every year."

Stampfler recommends the city arrange for a detailed annual, scientific survey of residents prior to forming its budget to gauge how well the city is doing and what residents would like to see from their city.

"We've used up to 60 questions," Stampfler said. "You're going to be able to see how you've progressed."

City Commissioner Mary Jolley said she liked the idea of surveying residents. Before she was elected, Jolley complained that the city failed to ask residents whether they favored its involvement in the proposed coal-fired Highwood Generating Station.

Michael L. Ashcraft, deputy city manager in Olathe, Kan., said he has won a number of awards while in government service.

"I have been a child of government for my entire professional career," Ashcraft said. "There's absolutely nothing better than the local level."

Ashcraft unveiled a method Olathe uses to compare itself against other communities in the region in 11 different categories.

One big priority for area residents was transportation. In response, area officials moved to build a railroad overpass, decreasing traffic delays and congestion in the fast-growing city near Kansas City, Mo.

Ashcraft said he likes people to embrace the idea of "trying something different." He said he has been able to help reduce the frustration of people attending meetings and keep those meetings flowing smoothly by "having a simple agenda."

Several candidates called themselves fiscal conservatives.

Each interview lasted about an hour.

At one point, Doyon asked commissioners what the hottest topic in town was. Stebbins said it was the power plant, which two other commissioners mentioned as well.

City commissioners indicated they were taking the task of picking a new manager very seriously.

"This is probably the most important decision we'll make," said recently elected City Commissioner Bill Bronson.