Pantagraph.com | News | Bloomington to decide which firm will help name next city manager

Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.

BigBrother wrote on Jul 24, 2008 6:09 PM:

" The best reason for selecting an interum city manager and waiting a year is to shed the city government of the Tom Hamilton influence. To make a decision now would be like allowing the CEO that drove the company to bankruptcy to select his replacement. Waiting for a year is the best bet. It will give the government a chance to settle down and draw a better candidate list to choose from. No one with any real talent wants to move where there is unrest and major headaches. "

BJ wrote on Jul 24, 2008 4:40 PM:

" Tomsnemesis - you are hitting the nails right on the head. I think we need to start looking for a new alderman/woman from each ward - heck I would run but I wouldn't be a favorite because I have a tendence to open my mouth and speak my piece about issues so I'm not in the "good Ol boys" group! "

Toms nemesis wrote on Jul 24, 2008 3:13 PM:

" “We need to start figuring out what we are looking for in a city manager,” Stockton said.. This is why sister stockton needs to go down the road with tommy boy. If he is just now asking himself this. Then something is really really wrong at city hall. for one lets start with someone with a BACKBONE! ! ! ! "

Toms nemesis wrote on Jul 24, 2008 3:03 PM:

" YOU HAVE TO LOVE THIS:Gary Goddard from the Mercer Group also noted that the city needs a manager who will be qualified to tackle a variety of problems such as those facing Bloomington right now.. Does he mean like the problems tommy boy has created? or just someone qualified, unlike tom ???? "

Toms nemesis wrote on Jul 24, 2008 2:56 PM:

" Bigbrother has the right idea! We should wait and see. An interum will give us the time needed to vote out the rubber stamp five and sister stockton. why let them rubber stamp us again when they wont be around to work with the new manager? Now is the time for those who live in those five wards to start looking for thier replacements. Lets not sit on our butts and wait until the last minute to start looking or it will be too late... "

BNHuman wrote on Jul 24, 2008 2:31 PM:

" NO, NO, NO.....We do NOT want to hire one of the assistants city managers or someone local. First one of the assistants works for Tom and you see what kind of hole he has put us in. Second we can eliminate a little of the good ole boy network by going outside the community. Third, we need someone with experience in getting a city out of financial holes without sending taxes through the roof. In other words someone willing to cut costs! "

Lurch wrote on Jul 24, 2008 2:17 PM:

" Hire a firm to pick the next city manager. What a crock to WASTE MORE MONEY to find the so-called best person for the job. The mayor and city council cannot figure out what to do on a regulat bases. Why don't they go down to safe harbor, the misson, jesus house to find there best person. AT LEAST THEY WILL DO THERE JOB.
Why don't we elect a city manager instead of wasting money looking for one. GOOD BYE TO A WORTHLESS MAN. "

BigBrother wrote on Jul 24, 2008 1:56 PM:

" Whats the rush to find a repalcement? Bloomington needs to select an interum city manager for the next year from the local applicants. An interum city manager gives the voters the opportunity to elect the city council they wish to lead the city. The search for the right person can be done carefully and with enough research to hire the best possible applicant. This can not be done in 4 or 5 months. Making a selection prematurly is a huge mistake. After the elections are over the city can then search for a replacement that fits the type of manager we need in Bloomington. Matching a city manager to the elected officials makes more sense than to rush into an agreement that will turn into a struggle for power. "

brainstorm wrote on Jul 24, 2008 1:10 PM:

" Whats so difficult about running a national search. If the staff administrators would establish criteria for what they are looking for, then place some national advertising..........surely they could do that for less than $25,000.
Now they are going to spend $25000 to have someone tell them what they want and then start looking. Got your checkbooks ready? "

mrw wrote on Jul 24, 2008 12:53 PM:

" All they need to do is take random applications, run a credit checks, and give them a test to see if they can balance a check book. If they can do that, they are better than any of the leadership in Bloomington or Normal. These search firms are a real racket, all they do is advertise the opportunity, take applications from folks trying to get out of a mess they created in their current city job somewhere usually from out of state. I don't think you could find more incompetent applicants than the search firms do short of a job fair at a junior high school "

FYI wrote on Jul 24, 2008 12:30 PM:

" This is something they should decide locally and they should hire someone who has lives here to do the job. Good luck collecting taxes from me next year guys. "

Gov't oppressed Mule wrote on Jul 24, 2008 10:39 AM:

" Why don't they leave it up to the taxpayers to decide? Put it to a vote. Give the gov't "of the people, by the people, for the people" back to the people. "

ilovethistown wrote on Jul 24, 2008 10:30 AM:

" personally, I'm really sick of Bloomington almost always turning to the "buddy system" when hiring employees. This is a big deal. We need a city manager who can work with a town that is growing and has a new set of issues. That's why a national search is so important--find someone who has experience, is willing to work really hard and who has some outside perspective. "

TwentyTwo wrote on Jul 24, 2008 10:26 AM:

" 408, Or you could type, "Good bye Tom, I can't wait to see you go!".... "

Dave wrote on Jul 24, 2008 8:03 AM:

" I vote we name him Paul. They don't need an outside firm to do something this simple. Paul the planner-sort of like Bob the builder or Thomas the train. "

cats55ire wrote on Jul 24, 2008 7:20 AM:

" OK--pls someone hand me the $25,000 and watch me "burn the bills"!

What a waste of money!!!!! HELLO PEOPLE - HELLO!!!!! "

Bloomington Resident wrote on Jul 24, 2008 7:18 AM:

" Our council and mayor can't make the day-to-day decisions effectively, why should we trust them to hire a good city manager? "

dotl wrote on Jul 24, 2008 7:04 AM:

" Folks, try to get some information about things before you post. The HR director is not qualified to conduct a national search for a senior executive on her own, especially since she will end up working for that person. Many organizations, including not-for-profits, use a search firm when replacing their highest level positions, and using one does not rule out considering in-house candidates like a deputy city manager. One of the two deputies is also retiring soon. There are pros and cons to hiring such a person from within, especially with the issues the City has faced recently, as these postings in the past have clearly shown, and I would think all the loud mouths would appreciate the need for new blood. 408washington--learn to spell. "

What The Hey wrote on Jul 24, 2008 6:42 AM:

" Well, if they hired someone on their own, who would they blame if they got another Bozo? It's called "denialability (or something like that)!!" "

mds1 wrote on Jul 24, 2008 5:49 AM:

" What a waste of money! Doesn't the city have a HUman Resources Director that could interview people, weed out the riff raff, and present the remaining candidates to the Council for final interviews? Isn't that what Human Resource Directors are supposed to do? Also, do we really want someone in this positiion that is not from this area? I would prefer to have them hire someone who actually has more than just a financial interest in Bloomington. I know of at least one person who has made her way through the ranks of city government here, and she currently works for Tom Hamilton. I think Barb Atkins would be an excellent choice. She started with park police, went to Commuity Development, and is now an assistant to Tom Hamilton. I'm sure she could make many improvements to Bloomington, as she has had a bird's eye view of what has really been going on at City Hall. "

albundy54 wrote on Jul 24, 2008 4:39 AM:

" I don't get this at all. We have two assistant city managers on the payroll and have had for sometime. Is it not an obvious choice to select one of them for the job? Afterall who knows more about the day to day operations than someone who is there 5 days a week? This is just further proof of how out of touch this city council and mayor are with the taxpayers money. What the hell does some company in Lake Bluff or Atlanta Ga. know about the needs of this town? The rubber stamp 5 city council members are on their way out, Stockton needs to go, and that may be a good start in the people taking back city government. "

BJ wrote on Jul 24, 2008 12:44 AM:

" There goes another 25,000 out of our pockets! I don't understand why the city keeps doling out the cash like it does. I think the mayor and the 5 alderman that are up for election should be booted out the door - they are all costing us alot of money and it isn't being spent on the right things like the roads in this city!! "

Venture Bros. wrote on Jul 24, 2008 12:18 AM:

" Hiring another firm...please...Mayor and city council just need to man/woman up and MAKE A DECISON on who to hire on their own..dont they trust themselves to hire the best canidate ? SAVE THE MONEY ON THE CONSULTANTS and use it for Bloomington. Why do we keep re-electing these people ? "

408washington wrote on Jul 23, 2008 10:37 PM:

" good buy tom i cant weight to see you go! "

Ads by Yahoo!

Illinois Board Up Service

Dy Realty Services, LLC

Property Management Services