Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Hiring Procedures topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council debate over hiring procedures fails to force public review of manager, attorney picks
Summary
A motion to amend tonight’s agenda to add a public discussion of hiring procedures for the city manager and city attorney failed after a heated council exchange about past vetting and the Berkeley Group’s role; the agenda was approved as presented and closed-session candidate interviews proceeded.
A motion to add a public discussion of hiring procedures for Franklin’s next city manager and city attorney failed after an extended debate among council members on whether the process had already been vetted.
Council member (speaker 7) moved to amend the agenda to allow the council to discuss written hiring procedures, arguing the public “deserves” rigorous, transparent interviews and at least two interview rounds. The motion was seconded (speaker 2). Speaker 7 said the council had not agreed on written procedures and that an hour-long interview for candidates with limited council questioning felt insufficient.
Other council members defended the current process and the consulting firm the council used. Mayor Kaplan said the Berkeley Group was retained to vet and pre-interview candidates and described their process as professional: “They have professional staff. They have professional investigators to investigate and check resumes and references and backgrounds, and that was done.” Another council member said the Berkeley Group had conducted an initial interview and ranking before the council interviews.
After members exchanged sharply worded remarks about walkouts, consensus and prior interviews, the council called the question and took a vote. The motion to amend the agenda failed. The council then voted to approve the agenda as presented and moved on to scheduled business.
Why it matters: Council members said the choice of city manager and city attorney is among the most consequential decisions the council will make, and several members urged public interviews or additional local vetting to ensure public confidence.
What happened next: The council went on to reappoint members of the Planning Commission and entered closed session to discuss candidate interviews under the cited Virginia statute; members later certified the closed session on the record.
The council did not adopt any new hiring procedures at the meeting; members who requested further discussion said they expect the topic to return to a future agenda or retreat for additional consideration.
