Strong communication skills, a focus on growth, experience, transparency and a connection with the business community are among the skills that local residents hope to see in the next city manager.
As the search for a new manager begins, The Eudora Times spoke with several community members on their hopes and concerns for the next person assuming a major leadership role in the city.
Superintendent Stu Moeckel said he’s looking for someone who will get to know the community and businesses around town.
“I think someone who has some very strong communication skills, values the tradition and culture of Eudora, but also is growth-minded and understanding that we are headed for a large opportunity in our region and even our city,” Moeckel said.
Several others also said they want a city manager with experience who can handle future growth, as projects like the Panasonic plant, Nottingham Center and STAR Bond project develop.
Library Board President Kenny Massey said he’s looking for someone seasoned and willing to put roots down in Eudora.
“I don’t know that Eudora’s in a position right now with everything that’s going on with the battery plant and this proposed STAR Bond project to bring in someone that, you know, is wanting to learn here,” he said of the need for an experienced manager.
Library Director Carol Wohlford said she’s looking for someone who’s done their homework.
“This person, I would hope, would be a smart planner with a track record,” Wohlford said. “Somebody who sees libraries as absolute necessities for an enlightened community. I think they need to have excellent face-to-face communication skills.”
Eudora Community Navigator Laura Smith is a family friend of former City Manager Barack Matite. She said she’d like to see some of Matite’s qualities in the new person, such as being level-headed.
“What I love about [Barack], and what I would love to see in whoever takes this role, is the open-mindedness and just not letting a lot of stuff bother them,” she said.
Lance Handley, manager of Gene’s Heartland Foods, said the new city manager should collaborate more with small businesses and find ways to work with them.
Chamber of Commerce President Anthony Brown shares Handley’s view.
“Obviously, the position I have at the Chamber lends itself to hearing different ideas that perhaps the city could benefit from,” Brown said. “So I’d like to see more communication with existing businesses here in Eudora.”
The Eudora Times also reached out to Fire Chief Mindy Andrasevits, Police Chief Wes Lovett, Parks and Recreation Director Sally Pennington and Eudora Community Museum Executive Director Ben Terwilliger, but they declined to comment.
In terms of the search itself, Massey said he hopes the search firm and the City Commission will be transparent.
“And by that, I mean involving some community members that don’t have a per se final decision of who the new city manager should be,” he said.
Raftelis, a Cincinnati-based search firm, was selected to head the search for a new city manager, as reported in a prior Eudora Times article.
The Times tried multiple times to reach out to Raftelis to ask questions about the search process. The firm referred all questions to Interim City Manager Kevyn Gero.
The search is still in the early stages, Gero said. Raftelis has requested information to put together a profile for the city manager, she said.
As of right now, there are no definite plans for community involvement with the search, but any future plans will likely be announced on the city’s website and social media, Gero said.
Reach reporter Caroline Zimmerman at [email protected]. News editor Abby Shepherd contributed to this story.
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