I begin this week giving thanks because nine Santa Fe politicians have an opportunity to at last hire a competent city manager.
This should not be mistaken for optimism. The cityās national advertisement for a manager is still structured to hand the job to another toady of Mayor Alan Webber.
To say the required credentials are skimpy would be charitable.
āBachelorās degree from an accredited college or university with course work in management, political science, business or public administration or similar field. Eight years of increasingly responsible managerial experience in planning, organizing, directing and overseeing a large organization.ā
What constitutes a large organization? Itās not defined in Webberās ad. For all the public knows, it could be a mall, a middle school or a telemarketing center. The loose language opens the door for more cronyism.
A city the size of Santa Fe should require its manager to hold a masterās degree in public administration. More important, a minimum credential should be five yearsā experience as a manager or assistant manager of a city or county government.
Along with Webber and the councilors, rookie managers are responsible for city governmentās failures.
Santa Feās streets, parks and public medians are poorly maintained. City Hall always promises improvements. Residents instead watch chuckholes expand with freezes during winter and weeds tower in the warmth of spring.
Routine white-collar work is just as inefficient. After missing the state-mandated deadline for Santa Feās annual financial audit, Webberās administration concocted a different, meaningless time frame. The audit was submitted five months late, but city officials claimed they fell short by only a day.
With crime on every residentās mind, the Santa Fe Police Department for more than a year has had 22 vacancies for street cops. An enterprising city manager would have embarked on recruitment efforts to bring staffing to appropriate levels.
Webberās last two city managers had no credentials for the job.
Jarel LaPan Hill helped campaign for Webber in 2018. Once elected mayor, Webber created the unnecessary position of chief of staff for LaPan Hill. Webber later elevated her to city manager.
LaPan Hill held the managerās job for 28 months, until the end of Webberās first term. That was just long enough for LaPan Hill to bag a $5,000 āretention bonusā in addition to her annual salary of $175,100.
She was succeeded by John Blair, who had never worked in a city government in any capacity. Blair was on the staffs of state and federal politicians before running unsuccessfully for Congress in 2020 in New Mexicoās 3rd District.
Blair then received a political appointment to help create the regulatory framework for the stateās recreational cannabis industry. He resigned after less than a year when Webber handpicked him for city manager.
Blair lasted 33 months before accepting a position with the federal government in Washington.
On-the-job training for city managers does not work. Elected officials in communities smaller than Santa Fe understand this.
Alamogordo, population 31,400, is advertising for a city manager with ā10 years of progressively responsible upper management experience in a municipality.ā
Huntsville, Texas, with 46,000 residents, has a similar standard. Itās advertising for someone with āa minimum of 10 years of related professional experience in a comparable or larger organization, with roles such as Assistant City Manager, City Manager or other similar leadership positions.ā
Even small towns specify experience in municipal government for their top administrative job.
Frontenac, Mo., with 3,400 residents, is seeking a city administrator with āfive to seven years of progressively responsible experience in local government.ā
Neither Blair nor LaPan Hill would have made the cut in Frontenac. They rose to the top in Webberās administration because of a City Council willing to settle for political insiders instead of skilled professionals.
This time, Webberās rambling advertisement on the website of the International City/County Management Association says candidates for city manager have until Dec. 31 to apply.
City councilors should not confirm anyone unless Webber identifies three to five finalists and each is brought to town for public forums. Residents who navigate battered roads or remove hypodermic needles from public parks should know whoās being considered for city manager.
No legitimate search was conducted when Webber nominated Blair, but seven of the eight councilors voted to hire him anyway. Lee Garcia dissented.
Garcia wanted to see a pool of talent instead of having only one person to consider. His position was correct. Blairās salary exceeded $176,000 a year. Attracting qualified applicants for that money in a historic, capital city would have been a breeze.
Webberās ad says the city manager this time can make up to $243,720. Thatās a peculiar figure, so exact.
Odder still, the successful applicant again could have no experience in city government. Think about that when a pothole chews up your car tire.
