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Local HR consultant says Cairo60s city manager recruitment raised fairness concerns; urges council to avoid perceived collusion
Summary
Dan Steele, an HR consultant, told the council he believes the city60s recruitment for the city manager position produced a "red flag" candidate and urged the council to ensure transparency and avoid perceptions of favoritism or collusion.
Dan Steele, speaking during the public comment period, urged the Cairo City Council to clarify its process for selecting finalists for the city manager position and said the current process had created a perception problem.
Steele said the Cairo Messenger reported 13 applicants for the posted city manager position, only two of whom met the advertised qualifications. He said the council was nonetheless considering a candidate who did not meet the stated qualifications and described that as a "red flag." "Could the council help the citizens of City Of Cairo understand why you're considering an individual does not meet the desired qualifications as advertised? This is a red flag," Steele said.
Steele raised concerns about an application that he said contained inaccurate employment-history dates and questioned whether the consultant, referred to as Mr. Berry, or the council selected the final candidates. "Did the council direct Berry Consulting to provide the final candidate list, or did the council choose the final candidates?" Steele asked. He said he spoke with a council member who stated Berry provided candidates and later spoke with Mr. Berry, who said he provided a list of potential candidates and insight into qualifications.
Steele urged the council to avoid actions that would leave "a cloud of the council and city leadership" and asked members to choose the best-qualified candidate. "The citizens of Cairo deserve the best possible candidate," he said.
No formal council action on the hiring process was recorded in the portion of the meeting provided. The remarks were delivered during the public comment/delegation portion of the agenda.
