Stafford EDC narrows economic development director search; panel recommends single candidate, council to interview

The Stafford Economic Development Corporation on May 27 reported that an interview panel has recommended one finalist for the city’s vacant economic development director position but is asking the council whether to hire the person as a full-time employee or bring them in first under a personal services contract.

The panel, which the transcript identifies as including Carl Young (public works director), SEDC President Andy Kron and Vice President Damon Leonetti and an outside subject-matter reviewer, said it received 107 applications, interviewed four candidates and — after one withdrawal on the day of interviews — selected a single candidate for advancement. The panel recommended a second, shorter interview involving a subset of council and SEDC members before any final hiring step.

Why it matters: the director’s role has been vacant for months. Panel members said the city needs a candidate who can "hit the ground running" on redevelopment and business recruitment. The body discussed whether to proceed with a traditional hiring process or to engage the finalist on a limited-term personal services contract so the city can evaluate performance before converting to a full-time city employee.

Panel findings and next steps

The interview team told the board it had narrowed the pool to one candidate who the panel considered highly experienced in municipal economic development. Panel members said that experience raised one concern: the candidate has worked in multi-person EDC offices and may be used to operating with a team, whereas Stafford’s economic development function is currently a single-person operation (no dedicated assistant). Panel members said they wanted council and SEDC members to meet the candidate in a short follow-up session "to see what the feedback is there."

The panel presented two options to the board: proceed with the normal full-time hire process, or offer the candidate a personal services contract (the panel discussed contract terms such as six months to a year) that would specify duties, hours and compensation. Presenters noted two tradeoffs: a contractor reduces the city’s obligation for benefits (the staff presentation used a benefits-loading example of roughly 54% when comparing total compensation packages) and makes it administratively easier to end the relationship if the fit is poor; a full-time hire is what was posted and may better match the candidate’s stated preference.

Council role and legality

Board members said the mayor typically recommends director-level hires and council approves them. A council member asked whether a contract-to-hire conversion would be legal under state law; staff answered that state law permits such arrangements and that any policy adjustments would be the council’s decision. Staff said they would confer with the city attorney to confirm specifics — for example whether the position would need to be reposted before conversion — because the city does not have a standing contract-to-hire policy.

Clarifying details from the meeting

- Total applications received: 107 (staff-reported figure). - Candidates interviewed by panel: 4 recommended; 1 withdrew the morning of the interviews; 3 interviewed and 1 advanced as the panel’s recommended finalist. - Contract options discussed: personal services contract for roughly six months to one year (length not finalized); staff suggested compensation in a contract could be higher than base pay for a full-time employee because the city would not pay benefits. - Concerns noted: candidate’s prior work in multi-person EDC offices versus Stafford’s single-staff structure; time needed to show measurable business-development results (panel said outcomes often take longer than six months or a year).

What the board directed

Board members asked staff to schedule a brief second interview with a small group of council members and SEDC representatives (the board emphasized keeping the number of council members small to avoid quorum issues) and to confer with the city attorney about contract-to-hire mechanics. No formal hiring vote was taken; staff said they would notify the other applicants by the end of the week and bring the candidate back for the suggested follow-up meeting.

Evidence from the meeting transcript

The discussion of candidates and contract options was presented by the staff member who led the recruitment process and was followed by questions and comments from EDC members and council representatives. Staff said, "We received a hundred and 7 applications for the position in total," and later explained the panel’s recommendation and the two paths under consideration. The board did not take a final hiring vote at the May 27 meeting.

Ending

Staff will schedule a short follow-up interview for council and SEDC members and will meet with the city attorney to confirm whether a contract-to-hire conversion would require reposting the position or other procedural steps. The city expects to notify interviewed candidates of their status by the end of the same week.