City Commission reviews applications for city manager post

With the upcoming departure of City Manager Richard Nienstedt next week, the Fort Scott City Commission is actively searching for his replacement.

Commissioners have been meeting in regular executive sessions to review applications. On Sept. 24, they met for more than an hour to review applicants for the job.

So far, they have received 24 applications. City Attorney Bob Farmer said commissioners have narrowed those applications to six.

Farmer couldn't say if any of the six are local residents, nor if any are current city employees.

Farmer has been helping commissioners with the hiring process, which started right after Nienstedt announced his resignation in late July.

Farmer is pre-screening the candidates right now, which he said consists of getting deep background information to determine if there's anything in the final group of six that would eliminate any of those applicants so commissioners wouldn't have to bother with interviewing them.

"I'm doing anything I can to help them reach a consensus in this process," Farmer said.

At some point in the process, Farmer will be doing extensive background and research on the final two or three candidates. That hasn't happened yet.

Commissioners haven't yet interviewed any applicants.

"We're just trying to determine of that six, which of those we will interview or which we will go ahead and eliminate."

The city placed job advertisements with the League of Kansas Municipalities, the International City Managers Association, and the Kansas City Managers Association. Although the ads were placed in those associations' publications, the Internet was the primary place that ads were posted, Farmer said.

"In other words, all the areas where people who are professional city managers would look for a job," Farmer said.

The commission is looking for a candidate who's had experience as a city manager. That's the No. 1 qualification the commission is looking at, Farmer said.

"Obviously, they're going to try and hire the very best professional person that they can. Clearly, those communication skills are going to be foremost. That ability to communicate and be a consensus builder is a requirement."

Once commissioners do make a choice, the decision will be made in public and not in executive session.

"The commissioners have taken a very slow, methodical approach here," Farmer said. "They're not in any big hurry. Their No. 1 goal is to obtain the very best person that they can for the city manager position.

"I think their feeling is that the most important thing they will do during this next year or perhaps their entire term is hiring the person who's going to lead us from this point forward. I've been very impressed."

This is the most important position in the city manager structure because he's the boss. He is the head man, he said.