By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com
Faced with the impeding departure of its interim city manager, the Yachats City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to offer the job to longtime resident Katherine Guenther, who just two months ago started working part-time as the city planner.
In proposing the move, Mayor Leslie Vaaler said Guenther expressed “a willingness to take one for the team.”
Yachats is looking for its second interim manager because Lee Elliott gave notice last week that he’s returning to Texas for a job there. With a house and fiancée in Texarkana, Elliott told the council his June 3 departure after less than three months in Yachats was “a personal choice.”
After Elliot gave his notice, Vaaler told the council she called two people who had earlier expressed interest in the interim job. One, she said, would have to learn all the details of the job and nuances of the community, and the other was not available full time.
Vaaler – who was upfront that she and Guenther are friends, walking partners “and perfectly comfortable with disagreeing” — said she then asked Elliott about Guenther.
When Guenther was first considered for the planning job, Vaaler said Elliott was “skeptical at first” because she lacked the usual credentials. Now, Vaaler said, “he thought this might be a good interim situation for us.”
When asked Wednesday, Elliott said it could be.
“I’ve been pleased with her work,” Elliott said. “The understanding of this village is critical. I believe she could do a good job.”
Guenther did not attend the online meeting so was not questioned by council members. But they agreed she is a good choice as interim manager.
Mary Ellen O’Shaughnessey said Guenther is committed to the community, is a listener and “she responds, she doesn’t react.”
Greg Scott said he has known Guenther for 15 years and “trusts her judgement.” “She’s candid, she’s honest,” Scott said.
The council then voted unanimously to have Elliott and Vaaler work out a contract with Guenther and have it ready for the council’s May 19 meeting.
Guenther moved to Yachats in 1994, worked 20 years as a Realtor and spent 15 years on the Planning Commission, including many years as its chair. She is also board chair of the Yachats Rural Fire Protection District, which is facing significant financial issues; is a board member of View the Future, a Yachats nonprofit conservation group; and, chair of the Yachats Fireworks Committee, which organizes the July 4 fireworks display.
Guenther will also get some financial help and expertise from another temporary, contract worker.
The council voted Wednesday to sign a contract with Yachats resident Tom Lauritzen to provide temporary financial services now handled by the Oregon Cascades West Council of Governments. The city is cancelling its contract with CoG, has been wrestling over how to deal with its finance personnel but has been unable to come up with a solution. It will now pay Lauritzen $55 an hour for 10-15 hours a week to handle finances until a new person can be hired.
Lauritzen worked previously for the city as a finance consultant and has been volunteering to help Elliott with form the proposed 2021-22 budget.
Move faster on permanent recruitment
Elliott’s departure is also spurring the council to begin working on recruiting a permanent city manager.
It appears the city will do its own search, rather than hire a recruitment company, which helps write the job description, advertises, screens candidates and then presents a city what it considers the top candidates. The cost of those services can range from $15,000 to $25,000.
Councilor Ann Stott – who offered to work on a job description and recruitment announcement — said the council needs to be especially clear that Yachats’ form of government is not a true “city manager/council” operation. The city has four commissions and a Finance Committee which does much of the work of a city manager or department heads in larger municipalities.
Councilor Anthony Muirhead said the council “needs to be honest about the job’s duties.”
Councilors agreed to work on an updated job description, create a recruitment brochure, and figure out the best places to advertise the position regionally. It will draw on Elliott’s background – he has been working in interim roles in four states the past six years – to help them through the process.
Scott warned the council that one of the issues will be getting the recruitment process under way – and once started to work rapidly on it. He said past recruitments have struggled because candidates generally have applications into multiple jobs and can drop out once they land a preferred one.
“When we have got a pool that’s attractive … we need to process this rapidly,” he said.
O’Shaughnessey suggested setting up a committee of 1-2 council members and a few citizens to screen applcations.
“We’ve got to get moving and get moving fast,” she said.
