Lakewood, Colorado Development News

Lakewood City Council Refines City Manager Hiring Process, Sets Key Dates and Criteria

The Lakewood City Council held a special workshop to discuss and refine the process for hiring their next city manager. They reviewed the timeline, engagement strategies for the community and council, and the qualifications sought in candidates. The council decided on key aspects of the recruitment process, including the number of finalists, community engagement events, and the nature of executive sessions. GMP Consultants, the hired recruitment firm, presented an overview of their progress and proposed next steps. Key decisions made during the workshop include: - Setting the final interview dates for August 6th and 7th. - Deciding to select five finalists, with a contingency for fewer if a candidate withdraws. - Scheduling two community receptions on August 6th: one open to the public and another for community organization leaders. - Confirming that staff will have opportunities to interact with candidates through departmental sessions. - Setting two executive sessions: one on July 27th to review the draft contract and another on August 10th to discuss contract negotiation elements. - Adding 'change management', 'diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) leadership', and 'servant leadership' to the ideal candidate traits. - Modifying the semi-finalist selection process to allow council members to rank their top candidates from one to five, rather than just listing top choices, to ensure a more nuanced selection. - Confirming that the final interviews will be in-person and will begin at 9:00 AM on August 7th, with deliberations to follow the same day. - The recruitment firm will provide a list of 20-30 proposed interview questions by Friday for council review and input. Additionally, written follow-up questions will be considered alongside live interviews. The process will incorporate feedback from staff at various levels and from community members via online submissions and receptions. The council also discussed ensuring transparency while maintaining candidate confidentiality.