Readers continue to reflect on the rapid appointment of Ken Striplin to City Manager and succession planning in general.
This reader thinks TimBen Boydston's desire for a nationwide search for a new executive would have been expensive and time consuming:
In contrast, the Hart District, which is probably subject to more routine political turbulence than the City, had to go with an executive search firm in 2010 after Jaime Castellanos left. Hart hired a superintendent from Hesperia.
On the other hand, College of the Canyons is the best run institution in the SCV and hasn't had a new supe in over 20 years. In fact, one can't think of COC without thinking of Supreme Chancellor Dianne Van Hook. So indelible has her mark been on COC that there are buildings named after her right now, today, as she's still in office. I think that organization will be truly rudderless when she retires as there is no natrual successor that I can think of.
Seen in this light, shouldn't we be glad the City had someone who could fill Pulskamp's shoes without missing a beat, just as Pulskamp took over Caravalho's with relatively little trouble?
Another reader wonders how Striplin will relate to the Council, residents and staff once he becomes City manager:
That's a good question. I'm sure the four members of the Council who voted to hire him as City Manager want him to keep the City in the black, to stop the departure of executive staff, and to finish Pulskamp-era projects. But what does Striplin envision for himself in the role? What's his vision of the City in five, 10 or 20 years? Given the way he was hired, he may not have carte blanche to do as he likes, but he's got something close to it.
Striplin is the new Mr. City Manager 1
What do you think of Striplin and the way he was hired? Do you have any impressions of the man you'd like to share? Email us at jeff@scvtalk.com
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Striplin is the new Mr. City Manager, ctd
This reader thinks TimBen Boydston's desire for a nationwide search for a new executive would have been expensive and time consuming:
I get nervous when I hear "nationwide search so that we could make sure we were getting the best person for the job." This usually comes with a higher price tag in the way of their salary. In these tough economic times "blue collar" workers have seen their incomes stagnate. The idea that we have to pay a higher "white collar" salary each time there is a change is not consistent with todays reality. Are they not subject to the same set of economic laws of supply and demand?Yes, there are probably few City Manager candidates with Striplin's knowledge and skills, which makes them expensive (Remember Pulskamp earns over $200,000 a year). But that cuts both ways according to a second reader:
It appears that having worked with Mr. Striplin for nearly two decades and believing that he is well suited for the position, the veteran members of the city council felt comfortable making an expeditious decision. Such a conclusion decreases uncertainty and instability which could lead to the loss of Mr. Striplin and Mr. Hernandez, both of whom are very marketable. We should keep in mind that complex organizations which are well run typically have sufficient executive talent to enable promotion from within. Conversely, organizations that are struggling or which suffer from a toxic organizational culture need to bring in “free agent” executive leadership.Our reader is right on this count. Consider the local school districts, which aren't as well run as the City, but have a similar structure with five at-large board members and one executive (the Superintendent). The Saugus Union School district, well-run and regarded until recently, promoted assistant superintendent Joan Lucid from within.
In contrast, the Hart District, which is probably subject to more routine political turbulence than the City, had to go with an executive search firm in 2010 after Jaime Castellanos left. Hart hired a superintendent from Hesperia.
On the other hand, College of the Canyons is the best run institution in the SCV and hasn't had a new supe in over 20 years. In fact, one can't think of COC without thinking of Supreme Chancellor Dianne Van Hook. So indelible has her mark been on COC that there are buildings named after her right now, today, as she's still in office. I think that organization will be truly rudderless when she retires as there is no natrual successor that I can think of.
Seen in this light, shouldn't we be glad the City had someone who could fill Pulskamp's shoes without missing a beat, just as Pulskamp took over Caravalho's with relatively little trouble?
Another reader wonders how Striplin will relate to the Council, residents and staff once he becomes City manager:
Word has been that Striplin is very much the bad cop to Pulskamp's good cop. Curious how that plays out with the Council, where Pulskamp tried to avoid land mines at all cost. I wonder if Striplin will look for a good cop to keep the dynamic going or if the CMO will be much more aggressive.
That's a good question. I'm sure the four members of the Council who voted to hire him as City Manager want him to keep the City in the black, to stop the departure of executive staff, and to finish Pulskamp-era projects. But what does Striplin envision for himself in the role? What's his vision of the City in five, 10 or 20 years? Given the way he was hired, he may not have carte blanche to do as he likes, but he's got something close to it.
Striplin is the new Mr. City Manager 1
What do you think of Striplin and the way he was hired? Do you have any impressions of the man you'd like to share? Email us at jeff@scvtalk.com
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