Blue Earth selects Bailey
Sarah Day — Staff WriterBLUE EARTH - The City Council chose their new city administrator following a weekend of reflection on the interviews of four candidates.
Kathy Bailey, city administrator of Madelia and former city administrator of Sherburn, was selected by a unanimous vote Monday.
The council had narrowed the list of finalists from four to two after Saturday's interviews to Bailey and Cheryl Nymann, city administrator of Oronoco.
The council discussed the two further at Monday's meeting. Each councilman stated his preference, and the motion was to be called for the candidate with the most votes. The votes went 4-3 in favor of Bailey. Those who cited a preference for Nymann said they would be in favor of either candidate.
Councilman Dick Maher listed the good things and bad things about the two candidates that he saw. Bailey's nine years of experience in administration and her work in many other related areas impressed Maher. He also appreciated that Bailey is a hard worker, and had even plowed the streets when needed. Her work as a union representative was also favorable, as well as her knowledge of Blue Earth and the questions she asked about the city.
Maher didn't like that there were so few recommendations from Madelia in her resume. He also didn't like that she probably wouldn't move to Blue Earth.
For Nymann, he said it was the little things that made the difference.
"First of all, she didn't get nervous," said Maher, who favored Nymann. "I think she did an excellent job."
He said even though she has less experience and has worked with a smaller community, she was an exceptional candidate.
"You know what sets her apart?" he asked. "She thanked us for paying for her hotel room."
Maher believes it meant something to her, and it was a signal to him that she cared about finances.
Nymann's knowledge of the city also impressed Maher, especially in regards to the school district and the Economic Development Authority.
"I don't think she's afraid to work," he said.
Councilman Les Wiborg believed that Bailey would be the more stable candidate, since she has a home in Garden City. He also favored Bailey because she had no desire to move to a bigger town.
The distance the candidates would live away from town concerned councilman Rick Scholtes. He said there was no guarantee either one would live in Blue Earth. He chose Nymann.
Councilman John Huisman said he has interviewed more than 100 teacher candidates. Huisman looks for intelligent and competent candidates, and from there looks for the candidate he feels most comfortable with. For him, that candidate was Nymann.
Where the candidate plans to live should have no bearing on anyone's decision, said Councilman Glenn Gaylord. He believed the most qualified candidate should be selected.
"I'm gonna have a hard time voting for anyone else," he said. "Kathy is best qualified for this position."
Councilman Dan Brod agreed.
"I think Kathy has all the qualifications we would like to have as city administrator," he said. "We need to hire the best qualified."
Brod said he would prefer their administrator live in town, but qualifications superceded that.
Mayor Rob Hammond was comfortable with both candidates, and had done more research on both since Saturday.
He said that by law, unless the administrator's location affects his or her ability to do the job, it has to have no bearing on their decision.
Hammond remarked that that type of situation has hurt the city in the past. In some cases, people the city has hired have lived in Fairmont or Mankato, and they have been involved in businesses for those communities and not Blue Earth.
"In some ways, I think that's a disservice to the taxpayers," he said.
"If you're selling the community and someone says 'Do you live there?' it bothers me when you say, 'No, but you should,'" he said.
Hammond said he had initially leaned toward Nymann, because he was reminded of former City Administrator Ben Martig. He said Martig had come to the city with no experience, but had a lot of people skills.
Hammond ultimately chose Bailey because of the areas and amount of her experience.
Interim City Administrator Bill Bassett will negotiate a contract with Bailey. A one-year agreement is anticipated.
In other discussion, the council addressed the all-terrain vehicle issue.
The issue stems from concerns of improper use of ATVs in town.
City Attorney David Frundt said city code requires a permit for use in town. He said 18 are currently issued, and they are good for one year. Many of the rules are not being followed, including having a permit, obeying the 15 miles per hour speed limit and stopping at every intersection. There are two kinds of permits: commercial and recreational. Frundt said the problem is not with the commercial permits, but the recreational.
"We're relying on the (ATV) club for the education side," he said. "It is simply not working."
He thought a public education campaign would be helpful.
Council members wanted to see a change in the wording of the ordinance, to say that the ATV rider must take the shortest route out of town. They also wanted to see a hefty fine increase for those breaking rules.
"I think the permit holders, by and large, are doing a pretty good job," Gaylord said.
He believes the people breaking the rules don't have permits. He's also noticed ATV misuse in the Putnam and Vera Steinberg parks. Gaylord said he sees a lot of younger children breaking the rules, not necessarily adults.
"It's the other people that think they can sneak by," he said. "Parents have to know what they're doing."
Frundt will work with Police Chief Dean Vereide on language and administrative fines for ATVs. He recommended including specific fines for each violation not covered by state statute. A proposal will be brought to the next meeting.
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SueGalluga
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07-22-08 10:21 AM
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Excellent choice that they WILL NOT regret. I have watched Bailey in action. Very, very competent
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