The City of Greensboro hasn’t had a manager since March 5 and it looks like it may be quite some time before the city gets a new one. Greensboro Mayor Nancy Vaughan said this week that the process of picking a new manager is “moving along,” though it is also a very involved process.
She said that, in the meantime, Interim City Manager Chris Wilson has agreed to fill that role as long as needed.
If you want the job, you need to get on with it: The deadline to apply is Sunday, May 26.
Vaughan said it’s her understanding that the city has received roughly 80 applications and she added that, once those are screened, the city council will interview applicants virtually and then narrow it down to a few finalists who’ll be brought in for in-person interviews.
The application review by city staff is already taking place and the final review will occur in early June. According to a timeline established by the city, semi-finalist and finalist interviews will begin in mid-June and will take place throughout June and July.
The process invariably will take a little longer at this time of year than at other times since local governments in the state typically adopt a budget in June and then local leaders and staff spend a lot of time on vacation in the summer – especially, when it comes to Greensboro’s elected leaders, at the North Carolina beaches.
Vaughan, for one, knows what she’s looking for in a new manager, given where the city currently is – in the middle of an economic boom.
“We need someone who has a demonstrated track record of handling economic development,” the mayor said.
She said that, with projects like the Boom Supersonic jet factory and the Toyota battery plant starting up in the area, it’s very important to have someone at the helm who knows how to facilitate the success of, and manage, large projects, as well as manage small business development – a category in which she said the city is also seeing a lot of growth.
The city has listed the salary for the job as between $190,993 and $341,777 a year.
In Greensboro, the manager has 6 direct reports: a deputy city manager, three assistant city managers, one chief of staff and the city clerk.
The City of Greensboro has over 3,500 employees.
Here are some of the job requirements: “Seven or more years of progressively responsible public or private sector leadership experience is required to include a minimum of two years overseeing a team of 200 or more employees; leadership experience in a municipal or local government environment at the City Manager, Deputy City Manager, or Assistant City Manager level is highly preferred for consideration.”
And here’s the city’s description of the ideal manager candidate. That person is “a solutions-focused leader with prior experience leading a large organization, preferably in a municipal government environment.”
Also, the ideal candidate will be someone who uses metrics to monitor performance and who modifies activities “to ensure a high level of efficiency and customer service.”
The best candidate “will confidently and persuasively engage with staff, community leaders, and the Mayor and City Council with authenticity and transparency and will have the emotional intelligence needed to build trusting relationships. The ideal candidate will also encourage creative thinking and problem solving amongst staff, embracing, and promoting an innovative, entrepreneurial culture throughout the organization.”
The new city manager should also be “an inclusive leader who appreciates diversity and supports the City’s work to overcome racial divisions.”
In addition, the person will “value diversity of experiences and thought in decision making and strategic planning activities.”
Call Uncle Joe. He’ll be stepping down soon. I don’t know if he will make the DEI cut. That could pose a problem.
Good Government in Action!
The ideal candidate must be of medium to dark complexion, be at least 1/4 Jew and 1/4 Muslim, have Karl Marx himself listed as a character reference. Ukrainians are encouraged to apply if they meet all other criteria & are willing to sell their soul to the devil & make DEI & MWBE top priorities. History of abusing power and domestic issues at home not specifically required, but strongly encouraged. No Whites or Nigerians, especially if they hail from Charlotte.
All smoke and mirrors…they have already picked her.
Why not appoint a Greensboro resident with a clear history. Make the hire on MERIT and don’t bring in anymore DEI candidates to do the job? A better solution.
Here we go again. The future press release will read: “After a nationwide search, we have narrowed it down to (insert one current assistant city manager) and (insert the person who doesn’t work for the city or have a real shot at getting the job).” Then a few weeks and tens of thousands of dollars later, they will pick the internal candidate. Probably that Nasha McCray.
In fact, here’s some DeJa’Vu from the City’s website when she got picked as Assistant Manager in 2022: “After a nationwide search and competitive process, Nasha McCray has been appointed as assistant city manager. McCray has served as the director of the Parks and Recreation Department since January 2018. She will assume her new role on July 1.”