Ethics Commission updates public on executive director search; commissioners seek minimum candidate pool

The San Francisco Ethics Commission reviewed progress in recruiting a new executive director at its Aug. 24 meeting and outlined next steps for screening and interviewing candidates.

Chair Rennie told the commission the recruiter had sent resumes for nine applicants and was continuing outreach through Sept. 11, the stated application deadline. He said he and Commissioner Andrews would screen the applicant pool and present a set of finalists ("two, three, or four") to the full commission for consideration. The chair said interviews would be conducted in closed session and that the names of applicants would generally remain confidential because most applicants hold current employment elsewhere.

Commissioners asked that a set of core interview questions be prepared and circulated for consistency; some commissioners said the questions should be shared with the full commission and possibly with the public for comment. Commissioners also debated an appropriate threshold for reopening recruiting (several said bringing fewer than two candidates forward would trigger reopening outreach) and recommended that the new executive director be an advocate for the commission's budget and staffing needs.

Public commenters asked whether the commission will disclose candidate names (the chair said names will typically remain confidential until a selection is made) and whether the core interview questions would be circulated. Members of the public and commissioners also raised a separate charter requirement that the commission have an executive secretary and discussed budget implications for any new staff positions.

No hiring decision was made; the commission set timelines for screening and anticipated presenting finalists to the full commission in October or at a special meeting.