Chandler starts city manager recruitment dialogue

By Jason W. Brooks
Mail | X: @JasonWBrooks2

The city of Chandler is finally getting moving on what could be a nationwide city manager search, according to a presentation at a Nov. 10 work session.

Since council doesn’t take official actions at work sessions, whether the city is spending any money on that process yet wasn’t officially announced.

Acting Human Resources Director Kristin Maier said, during the public portion of the work session, that the appointment process is simply outlined in the city charter. She also said city administration want to hire the firm Mosaic Public Partners to help conduct a national search.

Acting City Manager John Pombier has been on the job since shortly after Josh Wright gave about two months’ notice he’d be leaving the city, Wright left in early August.

Mosaic is a national executive search firm that specializes in the kind of public-sector executive recruitment Chandler’s doing, having placed more than 235 such leaders.

Mosaic, Maier explained, was used by Chandler for its 2023-24 search for a new police chief, as well as a recent search for a Development Services director.

The timeline in Mosaic’s proposal, Maier said, is to get started in November and have a vacancy posted in early January. After about 60 days, Mosaic would present a narrow group of candidates to council in March or April, with finalists then traveling to Chandler as a group for interviews.

Maier pointed out that the interview process typically involves two days of Council closed-door and open chamber, citizen/resident, employee and director panels, plus a public meet-and-greet. She said that’s an expensive part of the process.

“That cost can go beyond $15,000 — just for those two days,” Maier said.
Maier said Mosaic bid a flat fee of $39,500, listing lesser total fees for various other add-on service options.

Chandler Chamber of Commerce Director Terri Kimble spoke at the work session, offering several positive comments about how well Pombier has done as acting city manager.

The city went through a thorough process when then-City Manager Marsha Reed retired in March 2021, promoting Wright, a deputy city manager, to the top position before ultimately removing his “interim” tag five months later.

Pombier, who has plenty of city experience in Mesa, was brought in fresh to the city to be acting city manager, for which he’s being paid $30,000 per month.

In the work session, Mayor Kevin Hartke asked Maier if Mosaic, who’d been discussing search ideas with the city since June, had encouraged waiting until after the Nov. 4 special election this month before starting a search. Maier said there was more focus on timing a posting for January, as not many executives look to change jobs in November or December.

One of the charter amendments approved easily by voters Nov. 4 gives council authority to determine how much severance pay a dismissed city manager receives, as opposed to the previous two-months-salary flat rule.

Hartke then asked for, and received, a motion and a second to go into executive session. Council member Matt Orlando said he didn’t understand why that needed to be discussed privately.

Hartke then re-read the published rationale for the executive session, which is “discussion or consideration of employment of Acting City Manager John Pombier and discussion and consultation with city attorney for legal advice and to consider its position and instruct its attorneys regarding a contract for employment of or recruitment for city manager.”

Taking an informal vote, Hartke saw he had a majority, and the council adjourned into an executive session.

Email Jason W. Brooks at jbrooks@iniusa.org. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our  Civility Guidelines.

Jason W. Brooks
News Editor | Chandler Independent

Jason W. Brooks joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in July 2021 as an associate editor. After a year covering Buckeye, he has covered Chandler since the fall of 2022, in addition to assisting the Daily Independent throughout his time at INI.

Education: University of New Mexico, bachelor of arts in journalism and mass communication, print emphasis, English minor.

Random Fact: He and his siblings witnessed a Space Shuttle launch and landing in the same year in person, on opposite coasts.

Hobbies: Karaoke, bicycling and American Sign Language.

Community: He supports animal shelters.