Independence subcommittee hears two executive-search firms; SGR quotes $27,919 package

The City of Independence subcommittee on the search for a new city manager on Thursday heard presentations from two executive recruitment firms and questioned both about outreach, vetting, diversity, assessments and timing, with committee members planning to score the firms and return with a recommendation to the full council.

"We should have a decision for you in 7 to 10 days so that you're not sitting out there wondering what we're doing," Scott Crim, a search consultant who led the first presentation, told the committee, describing his firm’s national recruiting reach and process.

Why it matters: The firm the council hires will run the recruitment brochure, conduct outreach and references, coordinate semifinalist and finalist interviews and provide the background reports council members will use to pick a new city manager. The committee needs to weigh price, guarantees, demonstrated candidate pools and the firm’s ability to reach candidates who reflect Independence’s growing Hispanic and Polynesian communities.

What the first firm told the committee

Scott Crim and managing partner Colin Benziger described a turnkey search that includes: individual interviews with council members to build a recruitment brochure; targeted outreach using a proprietary email list and LinkedIn; rigorous background checks (criminal, civil, credit and motor-vehicle); and a finalist process that the firm recommends include a reception, one-on-one meetings and a council interview. The firm said it typically reaches candidates through a combination of advertising (20–30%), a 14,000-email…