Hello Council,
The City Manager search process needs transparency and meaningful ways for residents, small business owners, staff and other
stakeholders to give early and later input into the process. We’ve received no recent update regarding the search’s current
status. Our formal opportunities to give input have also been limited to public comment periods before four closed-door Council
meetings.
Members of the public have also expressed general concerns regarding the need for a more transparency and inclusive local
government in Menlo Park. The results of the 2017 City Employee Satisfaction survey also show that staff wants an improved
workplace culture where (among other things) they opportunities to give input into decisions affecting their work.
Instead of what’s been going on, can we establish a more interactive, timely, inclusive, authentic, transparent and responsive
approach? A better public engagement approach would help to restore lost trust in our local government. This lost trust is
apparent in the public comments made during meetings and those sent online to Council. A more transparent process – that
reinforced democratic values -- would also lay a foundation for a more collaborative way that staff, residents and council members
can work together.
We could also build-in some opportunities to work on synergistic goals, such as collecting input related to updated mission and
values statements and developing a vision statement.
City Manager Search Process to Date -- Major Milestones
·Sep 24, 2018 – Alex D. McIntyre announces his resignation
·Oct 2018 – RFP process starts to select search firm.
·Oct 29, 2018 – Council appoints Starla Jerome-Robinson as Interim City Manager
·Dec 18, 2018 – Closed door Council meeting: related to City Manager search
·Dec 20, 2018 –Peckham & McKenney Inc. selected to conduct search
·Jan 8, 2019 – Closed doorCouncil meeting, City Manager search.
·Jan 15, 2019 – Closed doorCouncil meeting, City Manager search
·Feb 6, 2019 – Closed doorCouncil meeting, City Manager search
A New Public Engagement Process (DRAFT)
For now, I suggest the below ideas.
1.Establish a City Manager Search Transparency Portal Page. Add process, timeline, key documents, current job description.
2.Community Input Meetings. Design, promote and hold at least two public meetings, possibly more. (The focus for the meetings
could evolve, such as having participants at later meetings be asked to validate/shape/prioritize prior input.) Ask location
leaders and stakeholders to help recruit participants and to serve as small group facilitators. Vary meeting times and days.
Anyone welcome policy.
a.District 1: Onetta Harris Center (ask Belle Haven Neighborhood Association, local non-profits and local schools to help recruit
for meeting)
b.District 2: Veterans Association –
c.District 3: Chamber of Commerce (ask President to help recruit small business owners including those in other commercial areas
in MP)
d.District 4: Hillview Middle School (ask school officials to recruit from their PTA, teachers, parents, and other local schools)
e.District 5: TBD
3.Community Input Meeting format:
a.Ask participants to arrive prepared and detail what that looks like.
b.0-5– Refreshments, introduce search-firm recruiters. Give brief orientation.
c.6-20 -- Small group introductions. Participants asked to individually fill-in-the-blanks on six leadership statements (idea
mostly taken directly from a recent news article on the City of Columbia, Missouri’s approach)
· It is critical that the new city manager possesses (blank) as a leadership quality.
· Menlo Park would be well-served if the new city manager introduced or embraced (blank) in the community.
· The new city manager should definitely have experience managing (blank).
· The new city manager should be able to easily navigate (blank) as part of their duties.
· It is important for the new city manager to understand (blank) about Menlo Park.
· The new city manager should not underestimate the importance of (blank) to the community.
d.21-50 -- Small group sharing of answers with scribe recording. Establish prioritization process. Groups that finish early could
be given another small, related task such as being asked to rate three different job descriptions, including the current one and
two “best practices” from other cities.
e.51-70 – Recruiters share planned next process steps and what will be done with the public’s input. Participants invited to share
their additional ideas, especially related to the public engagement process.
f.71-90 minutes – buffer time
Design additional public engagement approaches, such as:
1.At their next meeting, have MP Advisory Committees/Commissions also answer the six questions and invite the public attending to
do so too. Have a “Community Conversation” segment built into the agenda, for a more interactive session within the spirit and law
of the Brown Act.
2.Improve approaches in an iterative way.
These two resources for even more: Strengthening and Sustaining Public Engagement
[https://www.publicagenda.org/pages/strengthening-and-sustaining-public-engagement-guide]: A Planning Guide for Communities and
NCDDs Resource Guide on Public Engagement. [http://www.ncdd.org/files/NCDD2010_Resource_Guide.pdf]
Please let me know how I may be of help.
Lynne Bramlett
