Council holds second interviews for city manager finalists and directs consultant to begin negotiations; motion carries 4-3

The Bloomington City Council held a special meeting on Tuesday, July 15, to conduct second interviews with two finalists for city manager, Zach Walker and Kathy Hedin, then voted 4-3 to direct the city’s recruitment consultant and designated staff to begin contract negotiations with the council’s selected finalist and to pivot to the alternate if negotiations prove unsuccessful.

Why it matters: The city manager serves as Bloomington’s chief administrative officer. Council members and candidates framed the choice around competing priorities — continuity and internal relationships versus external experience in economic development and utilities — and cautioned that the next manager will immediately inherit multiple high‑profile projects and staff morale challenges.

During the meeting both finalists outlined their leadership priorities and answered council questions on management style, budgeting, equity and inclusion, housing, workforce stability and regional partnerships. Zach Walker — who discussed his experience in Independence and emphasized an ethical, relationship-driven management approach — told the council he draws inspiration from the Athenian oath and said he aims to “leave this city not only, not less, but greater and more beautiful than we found it.” Walker also told council members, “Nobody’s gonna outwork me,” describing a hands-on approach and an emphasis on regional collaboration and tourism strategy.

Kathy Hedin, who is serving as interim city manager and previously described her background in county government, emphasized workforce stability and fiscal planning. “If we want to get to a space … we have to think differently about how we do a budgeting process,” she said, describing priority-based budgeting work undertaken during her interim period. Hedin stressed investment in staff and internal leadership development, saying, “I start with people. I invest in people.”

Council members highlighted different strengths. Several members praised Walker’s long municipal resume and experience with utilities, economic development and tourism; others said Hedin’s internal relationships and recent interim leadership had advanced in-flight projects and helped stabilize staff. In a nonbinding show-of-hands earlier in the meeting, the mayor reported that four council members indicated support for Hedin and three for Walker.

Action and next steps: The council passed a motion, 4-3, authorizing the recruitment consultant to work with designated staff and council designees to negotiate a contract with the council’s selected finalist and, if those negotiations proved unsuccessful, to begin negotiations with the alternate finalist. The city attorney and council discussed a target to present any signed agreement to the council at a future meeting on or about August 25, 2025. The motion did not record a formal roll-call of individual votes in the meeting record; the meeting minutes note the final tally as 4 in favor, 3 opposed. The motion passed without the meeting naming a public “selected” finalist in the motion language; the motion includes an explicit contingency to negotiate with the alternate candidate if needed.

Council discussion also flagged implementation risks: several members warned that choosing an external candidate would require deliberate, early outreach to retain and reassure staff and to accelerate relationship‑building with community and regional partners. Other members said an internal candidate would provide continuity and allow faster execution on projects already underway.

The council’s discussion reflected recurring interview themes: candidates’ approaches to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and community engagement; housing strategies tied to comprehensive plan updates; the need to maintain Bloomington’s strong credit and reserve position while pursuing capital projects; and the role of regional partnerships and utility management in long-term sustainability.

The meeting concluded with the council directing staff and the consultant to proceed with negotiations under the approved motion and with the expectation that the council would consider a final employment agreement at a later meeting in August.