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[Public Meeting on April 18, 2024.]
HOW'S EVERYBODY DOING? GREAT.IT'S SUCH AN AMAZING EVENING, AND WE'RE SO EXCITED TO BE AT THIS POINT.
UM, IT FEELS A LITTLE BIT SURREAL TO BE AT THIS POINT BECAUSE JUST A FEW SHORT MONTHS AGO, UH, THE COUNCIL SET OUT ON A JOURNEY TO WORK WITH THE COMMUNITY AND STAFF TO SELECT A NEW CITY MANAGER.
AND WE ARE HERE TONIGHT TO MEET AND GREET OUR FINAL THREE CANDIDATES.
CAN WE PUT OUR HANDS TOGETHER FOR THAT? I WANNA FIRST START BY THANKING THE COMMUNITY FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND YOUR IDEAS AND YOUR THOUGHTFUL QUESTIONS THAT YOU ALL SUBMITTED.
WE PUT OUT A CALL, UH, LAST WEEK FOR QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMUNITY IN TERMS OF WHAT YOU WANNA KNOW AND WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO YOU, UH, WHEN WE LOOK AT SELECTING A NEW CITY MANAGER.
AND SO WE WILL HEAR SOME OF THOSE QUESTIONS TONIGHT.
UM, ACTUALLY GLAD IT'S A GOOD THING WE GOT OVER 70 QUESTIONS SUBMITTED.
SO OBVIOUSLY WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ANSWER ALL 70 TONIGHT.
WE DIDN'T WANNA HOLD YOU ALL TOO LONG.
HOWEVER, THE COUNCIL WORKED TOGETHER TO NARROW THAT DOWN TO ABOUT SIX OF THOSE QUESTIONS, UM, THAT WERE, THAT WERE IN LINE WITH, AGAIN, WHAT WE THINK YOU ALL MOST WANT TO HEAR ABOUT FROM OUR CANDIDATES TONIGHT.
AND SO WE WILL DO THIS FORUM STYLE.
AND SO WE WILL HAVE, UH, INTROS A BIO.
I WILL READ EACH CANDIDATE'S BIO, UM, AND THEN THEY WILL COME AND DO A TWO MINUTE INTRODUCTION.
AND THEN THEY WILL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO RESPOND TO EACH OF THE QUESTIONS, AND THEN THEY WILL HAVE A ONE MINUTE CLOSING.
UH, BEFORE WE GET INTO THAT, WE, I WANT TO INTRODUCE OUR COUNCIL, AND WE HAVE SEVERAL DIGNITARIES THAT HAVE GRACED US TONIGHT WITH THEIR PRESENCE.
SO I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE TAKE JUST A MOMENT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THEM.
UM, AND I WANT OUR COUNCIL TO PLEASE STAND.
UH, MANY OF THEM ARE HERE ON THE FRONT ROW.
CAN WE GIVE IT UP FOR OUR CITY COUNCIL? STAY STANDING.
WE HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER, EXCUSE ME, MAYOR PROAM LETITIA HUGHES, WHO REPRESENTS PLACE SEVEN.
WE HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER CRYSTAL CHISHOLM, WHO REPRESENTS PLACE SIX.
WE HAVE DR. DIANA MARKS, WHO REPRESENTS PLACE FIVE
Y'ALL HAVE TO HELP US KEEP DR. MARKS UNDER CONTROL.
WE HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER NICOLE RAPHAEL, WHO REPRESENTS PLACE THREE.
WE HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER PERT PARKER, WHO REPRESENTS PLACE TWO
LISTEN, WE CAN FIND A WAY TO MAKE IT A COMPETITION.
I'M TELLING YOU WE HAVE A LOT OF HEALTHY COMPETITION ON THE COUNCIL.
UH, WE ALSO HAVE OUR, OUR LONE GENTLEMAN.
PLEASE SAY A PRAYER FOR HIM IN YOUR TIME.
UH, COUNCILMAN ANDRE BY AND WE HAVE MYSELF.
UH, MAYOR PROCTOR, I REPRESENT PLACE ONE.
AGAIN, THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE.
WE ALSO HAVE SEVERAL OTHER DIGNITARIES.
IF YOU ARE A ELECTED OR APPOINTED OFFICIAL, PLEASE STAND IF YOU ARE AN ELECTED.
LISTEN,
HE SAID WE HAVE, UH, TO GRACE US, AND WE ARE ALWAYS SO HONORED WHENEVER HE COMES TO SEE ABOUT US HERE IN DESOTO.
HE'S OUR MAN, DOWNTOWN COMMISSIONER JOHN WILEY.
PRICE, CAN WE PUT OUR HANDS TOGETHER FOR HIM? THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE, AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR DEDICATION TO OUR COMMUNITY.
DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER ELECTED, UH, OFFICIALS IN THE AUDIENCE SO WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT WE ACKNOWLEDGE YOU APPROPRIATELY? TONIGHT? AGAIN, NOW COMMUNITY.
GIVE IT UP FOR YOURSELVES FOR BEING HERE.
SO MANY STAKEHOLDERS, MEMBERS OF OUR BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS, ALL OF YOU ALL ARE HERE.
SO AGAIN, AS I MENTIONED, WE HAVE THREE CANDIDATES, UH, THAT WE HAVE NARROWED DOWN.
AND IT WAS NOT AN EASY JOB TO BE, UH, THE ONES WHO HAD TO MAKE THESE DECISIONS, BUT WE HAVE THREE VERY, VERY QUALIFIED CANDIDATES, AND WE WANTED TO TAKE A MOMENT TONIGHT TO INTRODUCE THEM TO THE COMMUNITY, UH, THE WAY THAT IT WILL WORK.
AGAIN, WE, I'VE GIVEN YOU ALL THE, UH, THE OUTLINE IN TERMS OF HOW WE WILL ANSWER THE QUESTIONS OR HOW WE WILL CALL THE QUESTIONS, AND THEY WILL RESPOND.
HOWEVER, EACH CANDIDATE WILL BE IN HERE INDIVIDUALLY, SO NO OTHER CANDIDATE WILL BE ALLOWED TO HEAR THE RESPONSES OF THE CANDIDATE.
SO WE HAVE OUR FIRST CANDIDATE HERE TONIGHT, UM, WHO IS HERE, AND WE ARE SO OVERJOYED TO HAVE HER.
AND THAT IS MS. CHERYL HARRISON LEE.
I'M GONNA READ HER BIO AND THEN SHE WILL COME TO THE PODIUM AND I'LL TAKE MY SEAT HERE AT THE TABLE TO ASK THE QUESTIONS.
WE HAVE MS. CHERYL HARRISON LEE, THE CEO OF HARRISON.
LEE DEVELOPMENT CONSULTING COMPANY HAS SERVED FOR 39 YEARS IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, INCLUDING SERVICE AS A MUNICIPAL ADMINISTRATOR IN FLORIDA AND KANSAS.
SHE IS ALSO THE CHIEF TECHNICAL ADVISOR FOR THE CITY OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, CENTRAL CITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SALES TAX DISTRICT.
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A GRADUATE DEGREE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA AND A BACHELOR'S DEGREE IN JOURNALISM FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA.I HEARD HER SAY GO GAMECOCKS EARLIER.
SHE IS ALSO A GRADUATE OF THE HARVARD KENNEDY SCHOOL OF GOVERNMENT, SENIOR EXECUTIVES IN STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT PROGRAM, AND THE BLOOMBERG, HARVARD CITY LEADERSHIP INITIATIVE PROGRAM.
FINALLY, HARRISON LEE IS A CREDENTIALED MANAGER THROUGH THE INTERNATIONAL CITY MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION, ALSO KNOWN AS ICMA AND A CERTIFIED PLANNER THROUGH THE AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS A PA.
LET'S GIVE HER A BIG DESOTO WELCOME AS SHE COMES TO THE PODIUM.
UH, THANK YOU MAYOR FOR THE INTRODUCTION AND FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE.
AND THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO STAND BEFORE YOUR RESIDENTS TONIGHT AND, AND TALK ABOUT KIND OF WHO I AM AND HOW I LEAD.
I'M REALLY HONORED TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SEE SO MANY OF YOU IN THE ROOM, UH, BECAUSE CITY MANAGEMENT IS A KEY COMPONENT, OBVIOUSLY, OF MAKING SURE THAT THE CITY IS WELL RUN.
SO YOU HEARD THE BIO, SO I'M NOT GONNA TALK TOO MUCH ABOUT THE BIO AS MUCH AS I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT WHO I AM, BECAUSE I THINK WHEN YOU HEAR THAT, THAT IT KIND OF GIVES A LITTLE BIT OF INSIGHT INTO HOW I MIGHT LEAD.
SO JUST LIKE ALL OF YOU, I'M PARENT, I'M A SIBLING, I AM ALSO A CHILD OF A PARENT.
SO I'M A COMMUNITY RESIDENT IN THE COMMUNITY THAT I'M IN.
THAT SAID, THAT HELPS ME UNDERSTAND HOW IMPORTANT IT IS FOR RESIDENTS IN THE COMMUNITY TO HAVE THOSE SERVICES AND TO HAVE ACCESS TO THEIR CITY MANAGER AND TO THEIR RESIDENTS.
GRADUATE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA IN BROADCAST JOURNALISM, LEARNED HOW TO BECOME A MEMBER OF THE C-SUITE BY GETTING A MASTER'S IN URBAN PLANNING WITH AN EMPHASIS ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND CITY MANAGEMENT.
AND THEN FINISH THAT OFF WITH THE STATE AND LOCAL EXECUTIVES AT THE HARVARD KENNEDY SCHOOL AND THEN BLOOMBERG CITIES.
OVER THE PAST 39 YEARS, I SPENT MY TIME IN FLORIDA AND IN KANSAS IN CITY MANAGEMENT, IN SMALL COMMUNITIES AS WELL AS LARGE COMMUNITIES.
AND I'M DELIGHTED TO BE ABLE TO ANSWER A FEW QUESTIONS FOR YOU TONIGHT UNDER THE TWO MINUTE TIMEFRAME THAT WE HAVE ALLOCATED.
THE FIRST QUESTION IS, WHAT IS IT ABOUT THE CITY OF DESOTO THAT MAKES YOU WANT THE POSITION AS CITY MANAGER? WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO APPLY? YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES TO RESPOND.
SO I LOVE THE DIVERSITY OF THIS COMMUNITY.
I'VE BEEN IN THIS BUSINESS FOR 39 YEARS, AND I'VE HAD ONE STINT WHERE I'VE HAD A MINORITY MAJORITY COMMUNITY.
I SEE THIS AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO HELP RESIDENTS THAT OFTENTIMES ARE OVERLOOKED OR WHO DO NOT HAVE THEIR VOICES HEARD.
IT IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL RESIDENTS, NOT JUST ANY PARTICULAR SEGMENT, THAT ALL RESIDENTS HAVE, THE SERVICES THAT THEIR TAX DOLLARS ARE BEING PAID FOR.
I ALSO WAS BORN IN A SUBURBAN COMMUNITY.
I MANAGED IN A SUBURBAN COMMUNITY, AND IT'S VERY DIFFERENT WHEN YOU MANAGE SUBURBAN COMMUNITIES VERSUS AN URBAN COMMUNITY.
I LOVE THE PROXIMITY TO THE METROPLEX.
I THINK YOU GET SMALL TOWN CHARM, BUT ALSO YOU'RE CLOSE ENOUGH TO GET BIG CITY, UH, ACTIVITIES.
AND FINALLY I SEE DESOTO AS A CANVAS OF THAT IS BLANK AND A LAND OF OPPORTUNITIES.
LAST NIGHT, I HAD TO WAIT FOR THREE FLIGHTS THAT WERE CHA CHANGED TO BE ABLE TO GET HERE, BUT TODAY I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO RIDE AROUND AND LOOK AND I WAS EVEN MORE ENERGIZED AFTER I SAW THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT EXIST IN THIS COMMUNITY.
SO AS AN URBAN PLANNER AND SOMEONE WITH AN EMPHASIS ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAINTAIN AND PRESERVE THE COMMUNITY, BUT ALSO MANAGE THE GROWTH PRESSURES THAT I BELIEVE THIS COMMUNITY WILL SEE BECAUSE OF ITS PROXIMITY TO THE DALLAS FORT WORTH AREA.
AND FURTHERMORE, EVEN THOUGH I'M GIVING UP THE CHIEFS, THE WEATHER HERE IS WAY BETTER THAN IT IS IN KANSAS CITY.
UH, THE NEXT QUESTION IS, HOW WOULD YOU ACTIVELY PROMOTE
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PUBLIC SAFETY IN DESOTO? WHAT ROLE DO YOU SEE FROM EACH OF THE FOLLOWING DEPARTMENTS? POLICE, FIRE STREETS AND PUBLIC UTILITIES? YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES TO RESPOND.SO ACTIVELY PROMOTING PUBLIC SAFETY IS MAKING SURE, I WOULD MAKE SURE THAT OUR RESIDENTS FEEL LIKE THIS IS A SAFE COMMUNITY.
SAFE COMMUNITIES ARE GOOD COMMUNITIES FOR RESIDENTS, BUT THEY'RE ALSO GOOD COMMUNITIES FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
SO WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT BUSINESSES AND RESIDENTS, POTENTIAL RESIDENTS WHO ARE LOOKING AT THIS COMMUNITY SEE US ACTIVELY PROMOTING THAT.
THEY NEED TO KNOW THAT THE RESPONSE TIME FOR POLICE AND FIRE IS GOING TO BE, UH, REASONABLE.
THEY NEED TO KNOW THAT POLICING IS GOING TO BE EQUITABLE AND FAIR.
THEY NEED TO KNOW ALSO THAT WE ARE GOOD COMMUNITY PARTNERS AND THAT WE'RE NOT JUST INTO POLICING, BUT WE'RE INTO COMMUNITY SERVICE.
AFTER ALL, THIS IS PUBLIC SERVICE THAT WE'RE IN.
SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, THAT OUR COMMUNITY UNDERSTANDS PUBLIC SERVICE.
AND SO I WOULD BE OUT IN THE COMMUNITY WITH THE POLICE CHIEF, WITH THE FIRE CHIEF TALKING ABOUT THOSE, UH, SAFETY COMPONENTS THAT WE PROVIDE AND ENCOURAGING THEM TO DEVELOP PROGRAMS AND PARTNER WITH COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS.
VISIBILITY IS REALLY KEY, AND THEN COLLABORATION IS REALLY KEY.
THE NEXT QUESTION IS, WHAT OPPORTUNITIES WILL YOU PROPOSE TO CONTINUE BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN THE CITY OF DESOTO AND THE LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT? HOW WOULD YOUR PROPOSAL IMPACT STUDENTS AND STAFF? SO THAT ONE'S NEAR AND DEAR TO MY HEART BECAUSE MY MOM IS A RETIRED EDUCATOR THAT INSPIRED ME TO JOIN THE KANSAS BOARD OF REGENTS, AND IT MOTIVATED ME TO WANT A LEADERSHIP ROLE WITH THE KANSAS BOARD OF REGENT.
SO I'M THE IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR OF THE KANSAS BOARD OF REGENT, SO I UNDERSTAND THE CONNECTION BETWEEN WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATION.
SO BRIDGING THAT GAP MEANS SUPPORTING THE SCHOOL DISTRICT WITH THEIR ACTIVITIES, LOOKING AT HOW WE MIGHT PARTNER IN TERMS OF YOUTH ACTIVITIES.
THERE IS A STRONG COALITION BETWEEN YOUTH ACTIVITIES AND THE INCIDENT OF CRIME.
WHEN YOUTH DON'T HAVE THINGS TO DO, SOMETIMES THEY DON'T MAKE GOOD DECISIONS.
SO I THINK IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO PARTNER WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND LOOK AT HOW WE MIGHT BRING TOGETHER YOUTH ACTIVITIES, EXPAND YOUTH ACTIVITIES, LOOK AT DEVELOPING NEW YOUTH PROGRAMS. AND WITH ALL OF THIS HYPE THROUGH THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION, WITH CHIP MANUFACTURING, WE NEED MORE YOUTH AND PARTICULARLY YOUTH OF COLOR THAT ARE INVOLVED IN STEM PROGRAMS. SO I WOULD LOOK AT TRYING TO WORK WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, THE SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT AS A PARTNER IN MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE NOT ONLY DEVELOPING TALENT, BUT WE ARE DEVELOPING TALENT THAT WILL REMAIN IN THIS COMMUNITY.
THANK YOU FOR THAT, UH, RESPONSE TO THAT QUESTION.
THE NEXT QUESTION IS, TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY ARE INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT IN OUR CITY.
HOW DO YOU ENSURE TRANSPARENCY IN DECISION MAKING PROCESSES AND HOLD YOURSELF AND YOUR TEAM ACCOUNTABLE FOR OUTCOMES? TRANSPARENCY IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE GREATEST VALUES WE BRING AS CITY MANAGERS, PUBLIC TRUST.
ONCE WE LOSE THAT PUBLIC TRUST, IT'S VERY, VERY DIFFICULT.
SO IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT AS A MANAGER AND THE TEAM HAS TRANSPARENCY, WE HAVE TO COMMUNICATE WITH OUR RESIDENTS.
WE MUST LISTEN TO THE RESIDENTS, WE MUST ASK THEIR IDEAS.
I BELIEVE THIS PROFESSION IS MUCH LIKE A THREE LEGGED STOOL.
THAT THREE LEGGED STOOL INVOLVES THE COMMUNITY, THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL AND THE STAFF.
AND WE ALL KNOW THAT IF YOU PULL ANY ONE LEG OFF OF A THREE-LEGGED STOOL, IT DOESN'T FUNCTION.
I VALUE MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE IN THE COMMUNITY VISIBLY, AND THAT THE, NOT JUST THE MANAGER, BUT THAT THE STAFF SO THAT THE COMMUNITY GETS TO KNOW WHO'S LEADING THE ORGANIZATION AND WE HAVE A RELATIONSHIP BUILT ON TRUST.
THE NEXT QUESTION IS, WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION AND MARKETING STRATEGIES WITHIN A CITY? AND HOW WOULD YOU APPROACH LEVERAGING THESE TOOLS TO PROMOTE CIVIC ENGAGEMENT, ATTRACT INVESTMENT, AND ENHANCE THE OVERALL REPUTATION AND IMAGE OF DESOTO? SO AS A COMMUNICATION MAJOR, I WOULD SAY, IF YOU'RE NOT TELLING THE STORY, IT DIDN'T HAPPEN.
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IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION IS WE HAVE TO TELL OUR STORY.IF WE'RE NOT TELLING OUR STORY, THEN IT'S HARD TO LEVERAGE THE CITY TO ATTRACT RESIDENTS.
NOT ONLY DO WE WANT TO ATTRACT RESIDENTS, WE WANT TO ATTRACT RESIDENTS WHO ARE IN THEIR PEAK EARNING YEARS.
WHY? BECAUSE THEY'RE RUNNING THEIR KIDS AROUND WITH SOCCER, WITH FOOTBALL, AND THEY'RE SPENDING MONEY.
AND THAT ALLOWS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE ADDITIONAL RESTAURANTS, ADDITIONAL RETAIL OPPORTUNITIES, ALL OF THOSE THINGS THAT AS YOU GET OUT OF THOSE PEAK EARNING YEARS THAT YOU STILL WANT TO ENJOY AS QUALITY OF LIFE, THE WAY I WOULD ENGAGE THE RESIDENCES.
PREVIOUSLY I DEVELOPED SOMETHING THAT WAS KIND OF A THREE-PRONG APPROACH OF COLLABORATION, COORDINATION, AND COMMUNICATION IN THE CITY.
ONCE I DEVELOPED IT, IT WORKED IN THAT JURISDICTION.
SO I'VE USED IT IN SEVERAL OTHER JURISDICTIONS, WHICH IS GETTING OUT WITH TOWN HALL MEETINGS, GOING ON A LISTENING TOUR WITH THE RESIDENTS, WITH THE BUSINESS LEADERS, AND THEN ALSO LEVERAGING THAT TO TALK WITH POTENTIAL NEW BUSINESSES THAT WE MIGHT BRING TO THE TABLE.
AND WE KNOW THAT BUSINESSES FOLLOW ROOFTOPS, SO WE MUST ATTRACT RESIDENTS THAT ARE IN THOSE, UH, PEAK EARNING YEARS.
AND WE WANT TO MAINTAIN THE TALENT PIPELINE.
WE DON'T WANT PEOPLE TO GRADUATE FROM HIGH SCHOOL HERE AND FEEL LIKE THERE'S NOTHING HERE FOR THEM TO DO, SO THEY LEAVE.
SO WE MUST TELL OUR STORY SO THAT WE HAVE A BRAND AND I BELIEVE IN STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS AND TELLING THAT STORY.
AND THE FINAL QUESTION BEFORE YOUR CLOSING, CAN YOU WALK US THROUGH YOUR APPROACH TO TALENT ACQUISITION AND MANAGEMENT AS A CITY MANAGER? SPECIFICALLY, HOW DO YOU IDENTIFY THE RIGHT CANDIDATES FOR VARIOUS POSITIONS WITHIN THIS CITY ADMINISTRATION, ENSURE THEY'RE A GOOD FIT CULTURALLY AND SKILL WISE? AND WHAT STEPS DO YOU TAKE WHEN IT BECOMES EVIDENT THAT AN EMPLOYEE MAY NOT BE THE RIGHT FIT FOR THEIR ROLE? AND I CAN REPEAT THE QUESTION IF NEEDED.
YES, IT'S GOT FOUR PARTS TO IT,
UH, CAN YOU WALK US THROUGH YOUR APPROACH TO TALENT ACQUISITION AND MANAGEMENT AS A CITY MANAGER? SPECIFICALLY, HOW DO YOU IDENTIFY THE RIGHT CANDIDATES FOR VARIOUS POSITIONS WITHIN THE CITY ADMINISTRATION? TWO, ENSURE THAT THERE ARE GOOD FIT CULTURALLY AND SKILL WISE.
AND THREE, WHAT STEPS DO YOU TAKE WHEN IT BECOMES EVIDENT THAT AN EMPLOYEE MAY NOT BE THE RIGHT FIT FOR THEIR ROLE? OKAY.
SO IDENTIFYING THE CORRECT TALENT, MAKING SURE THAT THEY'RE A GOOD FIT CULTURALLY, AND THEN TAKING STEPS TO ENCOURAGE THEM IF IT DOESN'T WORK OUT, THAT MAYBE THEY CONSIDER SOME ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES.
SO IDENTIFYING THE RIGHT TALENT, I THINK STARTS WITH GOOD JOB DESCRIPTIONS AND GOOD PERFORMANCE INDICATORS AND GOOD MEASUREMENTS.
AND THEN OF COURSE, YOU ARE ADVERTISING BASED ON THE CRITERIA THAT'S ESTABLISHED.
ONCE YOU GET TO A POINT OF INTERVIEWING AND YOU DETERMINE THAT YOU HAVE FINALISTS, IT DOES GET DOWN TO A FIT.
SO AT THAT POINT, WE'RE ASKING QUESTIONS ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES THAT ALIGN WITH THE VALUES, VISION, AND MISSION OF THE ORGANIZATION.
AND IF AFTER BEING HIRED, IT IS DETERMINED THAT THE DECISION WAS NOT GOOD, OR FOR WHATEVER REASON, WHAT WAS PRESENTED DURING THE INTERVIEW PROCESS IS NOT WHAT YOU'RE SEEING, THEN I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT TO TAKE MEASURES IN A MANNER THAT IS EXPEDIENT IN A MANNER THAT IS EQUITABLE AND IN A MANNER THAT BEST SERVES THE TOWN.
SO SOMETIMES THAT MEANS ENCOURAGING THEM TO LOOK AT OPPORTUNITIES THAT MAY BETTER ALIGN WITH THEIR CULTURE AND THEIR VALUES, AND THAT MIGHT NOT ALIGN WITH THE CULTURE AND VALUES OF THE JURISDICTION THAT THEY'RE IN.
LEE, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE TO GIVE A CLOSING STATEMENT.
SO OFTENTIMES PEOPLE JOIN A PROFESSION OR AN ORGANIZATION OR THE DEVELOPER CAREER THAT THEY CHANGE AND PEOPLE CHANGE CAREERS.
I WILL TELL YOU, I THINK CITY MANAGEMENT IS A CALLING.
AND I HAVE NOT SHIFTED CAREERS.
WHEN I GO TO THE DOCTOR'S OFFICE, WHEN THAT NURSE TAKES MY BLOOD PRESSURE, I'M COUNTING ON HER TO READ IT CORRECTLY, BECAUSE IF SHE DOESN'T READ IT CORRECTLY AND IT'S ELEVATED, I COULD GO OUT AND HAVE A STROKE.
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SO I'M COUNTING ON HER TO DO A JOB AND DO IT CORRECTLY.AND WHEN SHE COMES HOME, I KNOW THAT SHE'S COUNTING ON ME TO DO MY JOB CORRECTLY.
WHAT THEY'RE COUNTING ON IS THE NEXT MORNING, IF THERE'S SNOW, WE'VE GOT IT REMOVED.
THEY'RE COUNTING ON PARKS FOR THEIR CHILDREN, THEY'RE COUNTING ON CLEAN WATER.
I BELIEVE THAT PUBLIC SERVICE IS A CALLING INTO WHOM MUCH IS GIVEN, MUCH IS REQUIRED.
DID YOU ALL ENJOY HEARING THOSE RESPONSES? WAS THAT HELPFUL? WE'RE GOING TO ALLOW FOR A MOMENT.
OH, WE HAVE OUR NEXT CANDIDATE.
I WAS GONNA GIVE US A LITTLE TIME.
HE'S IN THE BUILDING, SO I'M GONNA READ HIS BIO.
UH, IT'S MR. JOSEPH L ARD, WHO SERVED IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR AS CITY MANAGER OF ASHLAND, OREGON, AN ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER FOR AUSTIN, TEXAS, AN ASSISTANT TO THE CITY MANAGER OF DALLAS, TEXAS.
HE ALSO SERVED IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR IN EXECUTIVE POSITIONS IN LAND DEVELOPMENT AND MULTIFAMILY FINANCIAL OVERSIGHT AND PROVIDED CONSULTANT SERVICES IN INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT.
MR. LESSARD HOLDS A MASTER OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS DEGREE FROM THE INDIANA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS WITH A PUBLIC FINANCE CONCENTRATION.
HE ALSO HOLDS TWO BACHELOR OF ARTS DEGREES IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION AND POLITICAL SCIENCE FROM WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY.
HE IS A MEMBER OF THE URBAN LAND INSTITUTE, CONGRESS FOR THE NEW URBANISM AND THE INTERNATIONAL CITY COUNTY MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION.
PLEASE GIVE A BIG DESOTO WELCOME TO MR. JOSEPH L LAZAR.
MR. LAZAR, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
I'M GONNA READ THE FORMAT FOR TONIGHT'S QUESTIONS.
I BELIEVE YOU WERE NOT IN THE ROOM WHEN I WENT THROUGH THAT.
UM, WE WILL BEGIN BY ALLOWING YOU TWO MINUTES TO GIVE AN INTRODUCTION.
THEN YOU WILL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO RESPOND TO THE SIX QUESTIONS THAT WE HAVE ESTABLISHED.
AND THEN YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE TO GIVE A CLOSING STATEMENT.
UM, WELL FIRST THANK YOU FOR WELCOMING TO YOUR CITY AND FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO INTERVIEW AND GO THROUGH A FORMAL PROCESS FOR YOUR SELECTION FOR YOUR NEXT CITY MANAGER.
UM, ME THINK, UH, I ALWAYS FEEL A LITTLE GUILTY TELLING PEOPLE ABOUT MYSELF.
UH, 'CAUSE YOU'LL PROBABLY HOLD IT AGAINST ME LATER,
UM, I, UH, UH, MY FAMILY IS ORIGINALLY FROM THE BRINO, NEVADA.
MY FATHER MANAGED A CASINO WHEN I WAS A KID.
I'M NOT SURE WHAT I LEARNED FROM THAT EXPERIENCE, BUT, UH, I'VE NEVER BEEN A GAMBLER,
UM, I, I I, THE MONEY I EARN OR WE EARN, I THINK AS WELL TOO HARD EARNED TO, TO SPEND IT THAT WAY.
UM, MOVED TO WASHINGTON STATE WHEN I WAS 10 YEARS OLD.
I WENT THROUGH SIXTH GRADE THROUGH COLLEGE IN WASHINGTON STATE.
UM, LIVED IN A MILL TOWN, UH, UH, LUMBER MILLS.
AND IT WAS INTERESTING TO SEE, UM, UH, UH, UH, KIDS COME TO SCHOOL WITH CORK BOOTS ON.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU KNOW WHAT CORK BOOTS ARE, BUT THAT'S WHAT YOU WEAR OUT IN THE WOODS.
THAT WAS SORT OF STANDARD WEAR IN A, IN A LUMBER MILL TOWN AND AN ALUMINUM PLANT.
THERE WAS AN ALUMINUM PLANT, UM, UH, WENT, WENT ACROSS THE STATE FOR UNDERGRADUATE SCHOOL, WORKED ON A FARM FOR TWO YEARS AFTER COLLEGE.
I REALIZED WHEN I WAS GETTING READY TO GRADUATE, I WASN'T GROWN UP ENOUGH TO BE GOING TO WORK FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE.
SO I DECIDED I WAS GONNA TAKE A DETOUR.
I WORKED ON A FARM FOR TWO YEARS, UH, AND THEN MEAN I TOOK THREE.
UH, USED THAT TO EARN ENOUGH MONEY TO GO AND SPEND MY, WELL, I THOUGHT WOULD PROBABLY BE A ONCE IN A LIFETIME TRIP TO EUROPE.
UM, UH, UM, LEMME THINK, UH, THEN WENT BACK TO WORK ON THE FARM.
I DROVE A COMBINE AND WORKED IN THE WHEAT FIELDS FOR, FOR THOSE TWO YEARS, AND THEN GRADUATE SCHOOL IN INDIANA.
UH, AND THEN MY FIRST JOB PROFESSIONALLY WAS IN DALLAS.
I WAS HIRED FOR WHAT WAS CALLED AT THE TIME, THE MANAGEMENT ASSISTANT PROGRAM.
I WORKED IN THE BUDGET OFFICE FOR A WHILE.
I THOUGHT I WAS GONNA DO FINANCE BUDGET WORK, BUT I ENDED UP DOING THE CITY COUNCIL AGENDA PROCESS AND, UH, FOR SIX OR EIGHT MONTHS.
UM, AND THEN I WENT TO WORK ACTUALLY IN THE MANAGER'S OFFICE WORKING, WORKING FOR MR. ARD.
AT THIS TIME, WE'LL GO INTO THE FIRST QUESTION.
WHAT IS IT ABOUT THE CITY OF DESOTO THAT MAKES YOU WANT THE POSITION OF CITY MANAGER?
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WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO APPLY? YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES TO RESPOND.UM, I THINK, I THINK THE CITY OF OTTO IS AT AN INTERESTING TIME IN ITS HISTORY.
UM, I THINK YOU'RE COMING TO A PERIOD WHERE IT LOOKS TO ME LIKE THE NORTHERN EXPANSION OF THE METROPLEX IS SORT OF REACHING A SORT OF A NATURAL PETERING OFF AREA.
IT'S, IT'S FAR ENOUGH OUT FROM THE URBAN CORE.
THE GROWTH PATTERN HAS BEEN FAR ENOUGH OUT THAT I THINK WE'RE, I, I THINK YOU'RE LIKELY TO SEE A REVERSAL.
AND I THINK, UH, THE COGS NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COGS LOOKING AT PUTTING IN THE SECOND LOOP THAT IS GOING TO COME PAST THROUGH THE SOUTHERN OTHER CITY IS GONNA OPEN SOME INTERESTING OPPORTUNITIES.
I THINK YOU'VE BEEN A, AN AFFORDABLE CITY FOR AS LONG AS I'VE BEEN AWARE OF DESOTO AND HAVING STARTED MY PROFESSIONAL CAREER IN THE, IN METROPLEX.
AND I THINK, SO YOU'RE AT A KEY POINT WHERE YOU'VE GOT DECISIONS ABOUT GROWTH, UH, AFFORDABILITY, UH, CITY SERVICES, THE ROLE OF THE CITY IN MANAGING GROWTH, UH, AND HOW IT'S GOING TO MEET OR NOT MEET THE EXPECTATIONS OF THE COMMUNITY.
SO I THINK IT'S A VERY INTERESTING TIME.
AND I THINK SOME OF MY BACKGROUND, BECAUSE MY BACKGROUND INCLUDES A LOT OF REAL ESTATE WORK, I THINK I'M WELL SUITED TO THAT, AT LEAST UNDERSTANDING WHAT'S HAPPENING AND PERHAPS HELP THE CITY, UH, MANAGE THAT PROCESS MAYBE, UH, IN A WAY THAT PERHAPS SOMEBODY IN THE TRADITIONAL GOVERNMENTAL LOCAL GOVERNMENT, UH, UH, CAREER PATH, UH, UH, WOULD FIND A LITTLE MORE CHALLENGING.
AND I THINK I'M UNDER TWO MINUTES
HOW WOULD YOU ACTIVELY PROMOTE PUBLIC SAFETY IN DESOTO? WHAT ROLE DO YOU SEE FROM EACH OF THE FOLLOWING DEPARTMENTS? POLICE, FIRE STREETS AND PUBLIC UTILITIES? AND I CAN'T REPEAT THE QUESTION IF NEEDED.
UM, PUBLIC SAFETY IS A SHARED RESPONSIBILITY BETWEEN THE PROFESSIONALS WHO PROVIDE YOU EMERGENCY SERVICES.
IF YOU LOOK AT WHAT'S HAPPENED, POLICE IN PARTICULAR, POLICE OVER THE, OVER THE LAST FEW DECADES, THERE'S A LOT OF TALK ABOUT COMMUNITY POLICING.
THE PROBLEM CITIES HAVE WITH COMMUNITY POLICING IS HOW DO YOU AFFORD IT? HOW DO YOU PAY ENOUGH STAFF SO THAT THEY CAN HAVE FREE UP THEIR TIME FROM RESPONDING TO EMERGENCIES OR PATROLLING TO ACTUALLY ENGAGE WITH THE COMMUNITY? AND THAT IS NOW, FIRE DEPARTMENTS HAVE A BETTER CHANCE OF DOING THAT BECAUSE QUITE OFTEN THEY'RE IN THE COMMUNITY IN A DIFFERENT WAY.
THEY'RE NOT ALWAYS ON CALL OR, OR RESPONDING TO A, A, A CALL WHERE THEY CAN SPEND MORE TIME.
AND SO FIRE HOME FIREHOUSES CAN, CAN BECOME A, A GATHERING POINT FOR THE COMMUNITY IN A WAY THAT POLICE STATIONS DON'T BECOME.
SO, PUBLIC SAFETY IS, UM, IS AN ATTITUDE.
AND I KIND OF LIKE WHAT THE WAY THAT BRITISH THINK ABOUT POLICING.
IT'S, YOU DON'T POLICE BECAUSE YOU'RE THE AUTHORITY YOU POLICE AT THE, AT THE CONSENT OF THE COMMUNITY.
AND SO, QUITE OFTEN WHEN YOU SEE HOW POLICE IN THE, THE UNITED KINGDOM REACT TO AN EMERGENCY, QUITE OFTEN IT'S, WE'RE GONNA BACK AWAY.
WE'RE NOT GONNA ENGAGE AND INFLAME THE SITUATION.
AND IT MAKES 'EM LOOK WEAK, MAKES 'EM LOOK INEFFECTIVE.
BUT QUITE FRANKLY, THEY POLICE AT THE CONSENT OF THE COMMUNITY.
AND IF THE COMMUNITY IS NOT COMFORTABLE WITH WHAT THEY'RE DOING, THEY NEED TO BACK AWAY.
YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND YOUR COMMUNITY.
SO I THINK, I THINK THAT'S THE KEY ISSUE HERE IN PUBLIC SAFETY.
PUBLIC SAFETY IS ALSO, UM, CODE ENFORCEMENT.
THE RESEARCH SHOWS THAT WHEN A COMMUNITY HAS A PROBLEM, QUITE OFTEN IT'S THE SMALL THING THAT TRIGGERS THE SAFETY ISSUE.
THE GRASS DIDN'T GET CUT IN THAT YARD.
AND GUESS WHAT? NOW THERE'S THREE OR FOUR YARDS THAT DIDN'T GET CUT.
AND PEOPLE START TO GO, OH, I GUESS THE STANDARDS IN THIS COMMUNITY ARE NOT THAT HIGH.
I CAN GET AWAY WITH MORE HERE.
SO IT'S A CONSTANT EFFORT BY ALL THE PEOPLE ARE ENGAGED IN HOW YOU MAINTAIN YOUR STREETS, HOW, HOW THE KIND OF PRIDE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT HAS, HOW THE POLICE ENGAGE TO SORT OF SAY, WE DON'T TOLERATE CERTAIN THINGS HERE.
SO ANYWAY, THAT'S, THAT'S I GUESS PERHAPS OF, OF THAT TOPIC.
YOUR NEXT QUESTION IS, WHAT OPPORTUNITIES WILL YOU PROPOSE TO CONTINUE BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN THE CITY OF DESOTO AND THE LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT? HOW WOULD YOUR PROPOSAL IMPACT STUDENTS AND STAFF? CITIES DO ARE REALLY, I THINK IN THIS DAY AND AGE, ARE NOT ABLE TO SOLVE THEIR PROBLEMS BY THEMSELVES.
YOU NEED THE ENGAGEMENT OF THE COMMUNITY, AND THAT MEANS THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND ALL THE MAJOR EXCELLENT INSTITUTIONS IN YOUR COMMUNITY.
I, I CAN, I'LL GIVE YOU A QUICK EXAMPLE OF, SO I, BUT HOPEFULLY I DON'T RUN IN MY TWO MINUTES.
AND THAT IS THAT, UH, I FOUND IN, WHEN I WAS IN ASHLAND, THAT THERE WERE SEVERAL ISSUES THAT I KNEW THE CITY COULD NOT AFFORD TO SOLVE.
WE NEEDED TO BUILD AND OPERATE AN EMERGENCY OPERATION CENTER, AND WE COULDN'T DO IT OURSELVES.
UH, SO I, I, I REACHED OUT OR HAD AN INTERACTION WITH THE
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UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT WHERE HE WANTED US TO HELP FUND A POSITION FOR HIM IN EMERGENCY SERVICES ON HIS CAMPUS.AND MY ANSWER WAS, NO, YOU DON'T FUND IT.
I'LL, THE CITY WILL FUND THAT POSITION AND WE'LL SURE SHARE THAT POSITION WITH YOU AND THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, AND, BUT YOU PROVIDE THAT EOC OPERATION CENTER FOR US.
AND PARTICULARLY DURING FIRE SEASON, WHICH, UH, ASHLAND IS IN A VERY, UH, HIGH FIRE PRONE AREA DURING THE FIRE, YOU WILL STAND UP THE EMERGENCY OPERATING THAT ARE 24 7.
IF THERE'S AN EMERGENCY, YOU PROVIDE THE FACILITY AND YOU FUND FUND ITS UTILITIES, WE WILL STAFF IT WITH OUR FOLKS, AND THE SCHOOL DISTRICT WILL PAY FOR THE TRAINING, UH, A NOMINAL $20,000 A YEAR.
SO IT WAS A PARTNERSHIP THAT WE PUT TOGETHER.
WE DID THE SAME THING IN CHILDCARE.
UH, THE CITY, UH, OF ASHLAND IS LOSING FAMILIES.
UH, IT'S A TOURIST TOWN, UH, IT'S CONVERTING TO, IT'S HAS IT'S 30%, OVER 30% RETIREES NOW.
SO THE QUESTION IS HOW DO YOU, HOW DO YOU SUPPORT THE TOURIST WORKERS? HOW DO YOU SUPPORT FAMILIES MOVING HERE? AND CHILDCARE WAS, I THINK, THE ANSWER, PART OF THE ANSWER.
AND I PROPOSE A JOINT PROCESS.
I WENT THROUGH A JOINT PROCESS OF LOOKING AT HOW TO ADDRESS THAT WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND THE UNIVERSITY, THE YMCA AND OTHER ACTIVISTS IN THE COMMUNITY TO PUT TOGETHER A PROPOSAL THAT THE COUNCIL ADOPTED TO DO A CHILDCARE PROGRAM.
AND I'M, WHICH IS A SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM TO CHILDCARE PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY WHO NEED, UH, TO MAKE CHILDCARE AFFORDABLE SO THAT THEY COULD GET ON A SLIDING SCALE, A SUBSIDY THROUGH THIS GRANT PROGRAM FOR CHILD MR. LEONARD.
THE NEXT QUESTION IS, TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY ARE INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT IN OUR CITY.
HOW DO YOU ENSURE TRANSPARENCY IN DECISION MAKING PROCESSES AND HOLD YOURSELF AND YOUR TEAM ACCOUNTABLE FOR OUTCOMES? YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES.
UM, I THINK TRANSPARENCY STARTS WITH INTERACTING IN THE COMMUNITY.
UH, MY EXPERIENCE, AND AGAIN, I'M GONNA, I'M SORRY, I HAVE TO REFER TO ASHLEY AGAIN, BUT THAT'S MY MOST RECENT EXPERIENCE.
WHEN I MOVED THERE, UH, THERE WAS A REAL SPLIT IN THE COMMUNITY, A REAL, UM, UH, AND SOCIAL MEDIA, KIND OF A TOXIC RELATIONSHIP GOING BACK AND FORTH, PEOPLE ACCUSING PEOPLE OF THINGS AND, AND BACK AND FORTH, TER THAT REALLY WASN'T, UM, CONDUCIVE, UH, TO GOOD GOVERNANCE.
FIRST OFF, WE HELD A CITY TOWN HALL.
THEY HADN'T HELD ONE IN A COUPLE OF YEARS, SO WE REINSTITUTED A HISTORY AND, UH, WE HAD 300 PEOPLE SHOW UP FOR IT.
THE LINE TO GET IN WAS AROUND THE BLOCK.
AND WE, WHAT WE DID IS WE PICKED CERTAIN TOPICS AND WE HAD TABLES FOR A TOPIC.
AND YOU COULD SIT WITH A COUNCIL MEMBER OR, AND A STAFF PERSON.
I SAT AT THE POLICE STATION, A POLICE TABLE OR COMMUNITY SAFETY TABLE WITH THE POLICE CHIEF.
UH, AND WE TALKED ABOUT, UH, HOMELESSNESS AND HOW WE WERE IMPLEMENTING OUR HOMELESS PROGRAM.
UM, THERE WERE TABLES ON, ON INFRASTRUCTURE.
UH, THERE WAS, UH, SOME, UH, TABLES ON, UH, PLANNING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
AND SO WE ENGAGED IN THE DIALOGUE.
AND WHAT WE HAD IS WE HAD A VOTE VOTING PROCESS WHERE ANYBODY COULD PROPOSE AN ITEM TO BE VOTED ON AND PUT IT UP ON, ON ONE OF THE SIDEWALLS.
AND EVERYBODY IN THE COMMUNITY COULD PUT A.TO SAY, THIS IS WHAT I THINK IS THE TOP PRIORITIES.
AND WE USED THAT PROCESS TO HELP IDENTIFY WHAT WE WERE GOING TO FUND AND PROPOSE IN THE NEXT BUDGET PROCESS.
WE ALSO HAD, UH, STARTED, UH, I ASKED THE COUNCIL TO INITIATE ANNUAL ROUND TABLES WITH BUSINESS LEADER, A BUSINESS LEADER GROUP, AND ALSO WITH, UH, THE MAJOR INSTITUTIONS IN THE CITY, THE ECONOMIC DRIVERS, UH, IN THE COMMITTEE AND, AND OTHER ELECTED OFFICIALS TO SIT AROUND IN THE COUNCIL AND TALK ABOUT WHAT PRIORITIES WERE.
AND THEY ALSO IDENTIFIED THREE PRIORITIES.
AND SO WE BUILT THAT ALL INTO THE BUDGET PROCESS TO IDENTIFY WHAT IT WAS WE WOULD PROPOSE TO THE COUNCIL BASED ON ALL THE PRIORITIZATION FROM THE COMMUNITY SO THEY COULD SEE THIS CHAIN OF EVENTS.
WE HAVE A VISION FOR THE COMMUNITY, WE'RE HIGH IDENTIFYING OUR PRIORITIES, AND WE'RE PUTTING INTO THE BUDGET PROCESS AND THE IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS.
UH, AND THEN OF COURSE, UH, START, THEY CONCLUDES YOUR TIME.
THE NEXT QUESTION IS, WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION AND MARKETING STRATEGIES WITHIN A CITY? AND HOW WOULD YOU APPROACH LEVERAGING THESE TOOLS TO PROMOTE CIVIC ENGAGEMENT, ATTRACT INVESTMENT, AND ENHANCE THE OVERALL REPUTATION AND IMAGE OF DESOTO? YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES TO RESPOND.
EVERY CITY NEEDS TO HAVE A BRAND.
UH, IT'S LIKE ANY OTHER BUSINESS.
YOUR YOUR CITY GOVERNMENT IS A CORPORATION, AND IT HAS TO HAVE A MESSAGE THAT IT SIGNALS TO THE, UH, THE POTENTIAL INVESTORS IN YOUR COMMUNITY.
NOW THAT, THAT INVESTMENT, I, I TEND TO LOOK AT, UM, A CITY, THE WAY A DEVELOPER LOOKS AT A PARCEL OF LAND.
LET'S SAY YOU'VE GOT A THOUSAND ACRES, AND, YOU KNOW, OVER THE NEXT 10 YEARS, I'M GONNA DEVELOP THAT.
I'M GONNA TRY TO MARKET THOSE HOMES.
I'M GONNA MOVE ON TO THE NEXT PHASE.
AND I MAY HAVE A VARIETY OF TYPES OF HOMES.
I MAY HAVE, UH, DETACHED SINGLE FAMILY.
UH, I MAY HAVE EMPTY NESTER HOMES.
SO WHAT'S MY MARKET NICHE? I HAVE TO UNDERSTAND
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WHAT I'M GOING AFTER, WHO I'M COMPETING AGAINST.AND I HAVE TO KNOW WHAT MY MESSAGE IS.
HOW DO I, AND I HAVE TO KNOW WHAT MY AMENITIES ARE.
WHAT, WHAT VALUE PROPOSITION AM I PROVIDING? I'VE WORKED IN REAL ESTATE, SO I TEND TO THINK LIKE A REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER.
AND I LOOK AT AS A CITY THE SAME WAY.
WHAT IS THE VALUE PROPOSITION FOR THIS CITY? WHAT AMENITIES DO YOU HAVE THAT ATTRACT NEW INVESTMENT? WHAT ARE THE FUNDAMENTAL ECONOMIC DRIVERS THAT ARE SAYING, HOW MANY ROOFTOPS? WHAT'S THE INCOME LEVEL? HOW FAR ARE, ARE YOU FROM RETAIL CENTERS? WHAT ARE THE, WHAT ARE THE PARKS LIKE, WHAT'S THE SCHOOL DISTRICT LIKE? THOSE ARE ALL AMENITIES THAT HELPS YOU SELL YOUR COMMUNITY.
AND YOU HAVE TO ALIGN YOUR BRANDING AND YOUR, THE WAY YOU TALK ABOUT AND PROSPECT FOR NEW INVESTORS TO COME INTO YOUR COMMUNITY SO THAT THOSE AMENITIES LINE UP WITH THEIR EXPECTATIONS AND THE BRAND THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO SELL.
SO THAT IS, AGAIN, A COMMUNITY PROCESS.
WHAT HAVE YOU INVESTED IN YOURSELVES? HOW HAVE YOU CREATED THE CITY YOU WANT? AND HOW ARE YOU GONNA CREATE THE CITY IN THE FUTURE? AND WHAT, WHAT'S THE MESSAGE YOU'RE GOING TO DELIVER? AND IT ALL HAS TO SYNC UP WITH ALL YOUR ECONOMIC ENGINE WITHIN THE CITY.
GAVE US A LITTLE TIME BACK ON THAT ONE.
I, I'VE ONLY BEEN ON TIME TWICE AFTER THESE QUESTION.
WELL, HERE, HERE'S YOUR LAST CHANCE TO SEE IF YOU CAN DO IT AGAIN.
THEY SAY LIGHTNING NEVER STRIKES THE SAME PLACE TWICE.
BUT THE, YOUR FINAL QUESTION IS, AND THIS IS A, THIS IS A, UH, SEVERAL, A THREE PART QUESTION, SO IF YOU NEED ME TO REPEAT IT, I DEFINITELY CAN.
CAN YOU WALK US THROUGH YOUR APPROACH TO TALENT ACQUISITION AND MANAGEMENT AS A CITY MANAGER, SPECIFICALLY? ONE, HOW DO YOU IDENTIFY THE RIGHT CANDIDATES FOR VARIOUS POSITIONS WITHIN CITY ADMINISTRATION? TWO, HOW DO YOU ENSURE THEY'RE A GOOD FIT CULTURALLY AND SKILL WISE? AND THREE, WHAT STEPS DO YOU TAKE WHEN IT BECOMES EVIDENT THAT AN EMPLOYEE MAY NOT BE THE RIGHT FIT FOR THEIR ROLE? OKAY.
UM, I AM AN ADVOCATE OF THE WORK OF A GENTLEMAN NAMED ELLIOT JACKS, WHO DID A LOT OF, UM, INDUSTRIAL PSYCHOLOGY WORK, UH, OVER PROBABLY THE LAST 30 YEARS.
HE WAS A, WHEN I MET HIM, HE WAS A ELDERLY GENTLEMAN.
UM, AND BECAUSE HE WAS DOING, HE WAS WORKING WITH OUR POLICE CHIEF TO LOOK AT HOW YOU TALK ABOUT PROMOTIONS AND DEVELOPMENT IN A POLICE DEPARTMENT.
AND IF POLICE DEPARTMENTS, UH, CAN BECOME VERY INSULAR, THEY CAN BECOME A BUBBLE ORGANIZATION THAT DOESN'T CONNECT WITH THE COMMUNITY.
AND THAT THE, THE LESS CONNECTED THEY ARE WITH THE COMMUNITY, THE MORE YOU'RE GONNA HAVE PROBLEMS WITH, WITH YOUR PERSONNEL IN A POLICE DEPARTMENT.
SO HE, HE IDENTIFIED, AND I MENTIONED THIS EARLIER THOUGH, I'M GONNA REPEAT SOME OF THE STUFF WE TALKED ABOUT EARLIER, THAT PROBLEM SOLVING IS THE KEY ISSUE THAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR WHEN YOU'RE HIRING SENIOR STAFF IN AN ORGANIZATION OR YOU'RE PROMOTING AND PROBLEM SOLVING, UH, SKILLS ARE NOT LEARNED.
THEY ARE DICTATED BY BIOLOGICALLY THAT PEOPLE WHO CAN THINK AND SOLVE PROBLEMS THAT ARE COMPLEX ENOUGH TO BE 50 YEAR PROBLEMS HAVE A VERY DIFFERENT MINDSET AND MENTAL CAPABILITY AND PROBLEM SOLVING THAN SOMEBODY WHO'S JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT, WHAT ARE WE BUYING FOR DINNER TONIGHT? AND AND HIS APPROACH WAS THAT IF WHAT YOU NEED TO DO IS YOU NEED TO MATCH THE PROBLEM SOLVING SKILL WITH THE POSITION THAT SOMEBODY IS FILLING.
AND WHEN YOU DO THAT CORRECTLY, CULTURE WILL FALL IN LINE BECAUSE THE PERSON, IF THEY'RE IN THE RIGHT POSITION, WILL REALIZE WHAT THEY HAVE TO DO TO MANAGE THE ORGANIZATION EFFECTIVELY, IF THEY'RE IN THE RIGHT POSITION BASED UPON THEIR PROBLEM SOLVING SKILL.
AND, AND I'VE BEEN THROUGH SOME EXPERIENCES THAT REINFORCED THAT EXPERIENCE TO ME.
SO YOU INTERVIEW TO IDENTIFY PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS.
WHEN YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH SOMEBODY WHO HAS PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS, YOU HAVE TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT THEY NEED TO BE RELOCATED IN AN ORGANIZATION BECAUSE THEY PROVIDE VALUE TO YOUR ORGANIZATION.
OR DO THEY NEED TO LEAVE THE ORGANIZATION BECAUSE THEIR CAREER PATH IS SOMEWHERE ELSE? AND THAT IS NOT ALWAYS A NEGATIVE.
MR. AZAR, THAT CONCLUDES YOUR TIME.
YOU ACTUALLY HAVE ONE MINUTE, UH, FOR A CLOSING STATEMENT.
ONE MINUTE, A WHOLE ONE MINUTE
UM, I THINK YOU HAVE AN IMPRESSIVE CITY.
I THINK IT'S ON THE CUSP OF CHANGE, AND I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW QUICKLY IT'S GONNA COME, BUT I, THE WAY I LOOK AT IT, I THINK IT'S COMING.
AND SO THE QUESTION I THINK IS HOW DO YOU MANAGE IT SO YOU'RE HAPPY WITH THE RESULTS? AND I THINK YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT THE ISSUES THAT ARE COMING FOR YOU AND THE RECOMMENDATIONS.
YOU HAVE THIS POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS, 360 DEGREES, QUITE OFTEN.
EVERYBODY HAS A MINDSET, THIS IS THE ANSWER.
BUT HAVE YOU REALLY ASKED YOURSELF WHAT THE OPPOSITE ANSWER IS? WHAT'S THE CREATIVE SOLUTION THAT MAY BE TOTALLY DIFFERENT THAN WHAT YOU HAVE, YOU HAVE, UH,
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HAVE A PERCEPTION OF? AND SOMETIMES WHAT YOU'LL FIND IS YOU HAVE A WEAKNESS IN YOUR APPROACH, OR IT REINFORCES YOUR APPROACH.AND I THINK I, I THINK THAT THAT'S A SKILLSET THAT I HOPEFULLY BRING TO THE TABLE.
IT'S SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN A, A HALLMARK OF MY CAREER, AND I THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT I COULD, I COULD BRING TO THE CITY OF DESOTO.
THANK YOU MR. THANKFUL FOR THANK YOU FOR YOUR THOUGHTFUL RESPONSES, AND THANK YOU FOR BEING A GOOD SPORT, MR. ARD.
OUR FINAL CANDIDATE IS MR. MAGIC AL GODFREY.
HE IS AN EXECUTIVE ENGINEER AND EDUCATOR WITH 35 YEARS OF GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE SECTOR EXPERIENCE.
HE IS PRESENTLY THE ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER AND CHIEF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OFFICER FOR THE CITY OF DALLAS, AND PREVIOUSLY SERVED AS AN ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER FOR THE CITY OF EL KAON, CALIFORNIA.
AND THE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS FOR SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS.
AL GODFREY IS A CREDENTIALED CITY MANAGER AND AN ADJUNCT PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS.
HE HOLDS A MASTER OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION DEGREE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS, DENTON, AND A BACHELOR OF SCIENCE DEGREE IN CIVIL ENGINEERING FROM NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY IN BOSTON.
CAN WE GIVE A BIG DESOTO WELCOME FOR MR. MAG AL GODFREY? THANK YOU, MAYOR.
I'M GONNA GO THROUGH THE FORMAT.
UM, IN CASE YOU, YOU'RE NOT AWARE, UH, WE WILL ALLOW FOR A TWO MINUTE INTRO FROM YOU.
UM, AND THEN WE WILL HAVE SIX QUESTIONS WHERE YOU WILL BE ALLOWED TWO MINUTES TO RESPOND TO THOSE QUESTIONS, AND THEN YOU'LL BE ALLOWED TO HAVE A ONE MINUTE CLOSING.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE AND JOINING US.
UM, I, THE MAYOR, UH, WAS, UH, WAS VERY KIND TO, UH, SHARE MY BIO.
SO I'M NOT GONNA TALK ABOUT MY, UH, MY BIO.
UH, I WANNA SAY THAT CITY MANAGEMENT IS GOING BACK TO THE BASICS, AND THE CITY MANAGER IS THE ULTIMATE SERVANT.
AND, UH, I BELIEVE I'VE DEMONSTRATED THAT THROUGHOUT MY ENTIRE CAREER.
AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING, UH, FOR YOU AND WITH YOU AND DESOTO.
I LIKE TO TALK ABOUT MY FAMILY, IF THAT'S OKAY.
UH, I HAVE FOUR BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN, UH, AGES 18 TO 26 YEARS OLD.
UH, ONE OF THEM IS UNDERGRADUATE AS A JUNIOR, AND THREE OF THEM ARE IN GRADUATE SCHOOL.
TWO OF THEM ARE GONNA GO TO MEDICAL SCHOOL.
SO I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT MY CHILDREN AND, UH, ENJOY 'EM THOROUGHLY.
I LOVE DESOTO AND LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT DESOTO.
AND, AND PEOPLE ASK, COUPLE PEOPLE ASKED, WHY DESOTO? AND I WOULD SAY, WHY NOT DESOTO A AN ALL AMERICAN CITY, A GREAT CITY, UH, A PLACE WHERE I BELIEVE I CAN BE AN INCREDIBLE SERVANT, UH, WORKING WITH AND FOR THE CITY COUNCIL AND WORKING WITH AND FOR YOU AND, UH, TO DO GREAT THINGS, WHETHER IT'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, WHETHER IT'S INFRASTRUCTURE, UH, SOCIAL SERVICES, AND ANY OTHER THING THAT THIS CITY NEEDS TO CONTINUE MOVING FORWARD AND CONTINUE BEING AN ELITE CITY IN, IN THE SOUTHERN AREA OF, OF, UH, OF THE DFW.
I'M, I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS OPPORTUNITY AND LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING WITH EACH ONE OF YOU.
THE FIRST QUESTION IS, WHAT IS IT ABOUT THE CITY OF DESOTO THAT MAKES YOU WANT THE POSITION OF CITY MANAGER? WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO APPLY? YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES TO RESPOND.
WELL, I, I KNOW I HAVE, UH, COWORKERS WHO LIVE IN DESOTO, AND THEY'VE ALWAYS TALKED FONDLY ABOUT DESOTO.
UM, I THINK, UH, INITIALLY I WOULD SAY THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES, UH, THAT EXIST IN DESOTO WAS, WAS A MAJOR, UH, ATTRACTION FOR ME.
BUT AS I DUG DEEPER AND, AND, AND STUDIED, UH, THE, UH, YOU KNOW, THE CITY OF DESOTO, THE 2024 BUSINESS PLAN, THERE WAS A LOT MORE THAN JUST ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY, A STATE OF THE ART RECREATION CENTER, NAN'S FARM, AND OPPORTUNITY TO DO, UH, GREAT THINGS IN TERMS OF, UH, CULTURE AND ART.
UH, THERE'S, THERE'S ALL KINDS OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR, FOR INFRASTRUCTURE AND THE OPPORTUNITIES TO PARTNER WITH ADJOINING CITIES AS WELL AS, UH, WITH THE COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENT, UH, THE DESOTO, ISD AND OTHER FOLKS TO CONTINUE MOVING THE CITY FORWARD.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR ME, UH, IN DESOTO TO BE, UH, TO BE THE PUBLIC SERVANT, UH, AS THE CITY MANAGER.
THE NEXT QUESTION IS, HOW WOULD YOU
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ACTIVELY PROMOTE PUBLIC SAFETY IN DESOTO? WHAT ROLE DO YOU SEE FROM EACH OF THE FOLLOWING DEPARTMENTS, POLICE, FIRE STREETS AND PUBLIC UTILITIES? YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES TO RESPOND.ENGAGEMENT, ENGAGEMENT AND ENGAGEMENT.
UH, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT HAS TO BE FRONT AND CENTER WITH THE COMMUNITY, WORKING WITH THEM ON WHETHER IT'S A NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH, BEING PROACTIVE WITH NEIGHBORHOODS ON, UH, OPPORTUNITIES, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, UH, THE EVENT, UH, AT THE HOLIDAY, UH, EVENT AT THE END OF THE YEAR, UH, WORKING TOGETHER AND BEING INCREDIBLY VISIBLE TO THE COMMUNITY AND BEING RESPONSIVE TO THE COMMUNITY.
SO POLICE, FIRE IS THE SAME THING.
YOU COULD HAVE AS, AS, AS SIMPLE AS A, YOU KNOW, A FIREHOUSE PICNIC, UH, AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE KIDS TO GET TO SPEND TIME WITH OUR FIRE PERSONNEL AND UNDERSTAND WHAT THE FIRE AND RESCUE PERSONNEL IS ALL ABOUT.
UH, PUBLIC WORKS, ENGAGEMENT WITH THE COMMUNITY ON ANY PROJECT AND FUTURE PROJECTS, THINGS THAT ARE, THAT ARE REALLY, REALLY FOCUSED ON DELIVERING WHAT'S EXPECTED OF THE COMMUNITY AND WHAT'S EXPECTED, UH, IN TERMS OF OUR INFRASTRUCTURE, IN TERMS OF OUR MOBILITY, IN TERMS OF OUR CONNECTIVITY, BECAUSE THAT'S REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT.
AND I THINK I'M MISSING ONE, MAYOR.
POLICE, FIRE STREETS AND PUBLIC UTILITIES.
I'VE, I'VE BEEN PRIVILEGED AND BLESSED TO WORK FOR DALLAS WATER UTILITY AND, UH, PROVIDING FOR CLEAN, UH, AND, AND, UH, CLEAN WATER AND PROPER, UH, UH, SEWER SYSTEM.
AND SANITATION IS AT THE FRONT, YOU KNOW, IT'S AT THE FRONT OF, UH, WHAT A COMMUNITY, YOU KNOW, SURVIVAL AND, AND, AND C COMMUNITY GROWTH IS GONNA BE.
AND SO, WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH THAT DEPARTMENT AND THE PUBLIC TO MAKE SURE THAT COMMUNICATION IS AT FIRST WHEN YOU HAVE, UH, WATER OR SEWER RATE INCREASES, THAT THE CITY IS VERY PROACTIVE, EXPLAINING WHAT THOSE BENEFITS ARE GONNA BE AND, AND BEING IN THE FOREFRONT AND MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE CLEAN WATER.
THE NEXT QUESTION IS, WHAT OPPORTUNITIES WILL YOU PROPOSE TO CONTINUE BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN THE CITY OF DESOTO AND THE LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT? HOW WOULD YOUR PROPOSAL IMPACT STUDENTS AND STAFF? YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES.
SO I WAS, I WAS VERY PRIVILEGED TO ATTEND THE A-S-U-G-S-V SUMMIT IN, IN, UH, IN SAN DIEGO.
AND, AND THAT IS AN INCREDIBLE SUMMIT ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AS WELL AS, UH, MARRYING THAT WITH THE EDUCATION SYSTEM.
EVERY INDIVIDUAL HAS THE RIGHT TO LEARN, AND THEY SHOULD HAVE EQUITABLE OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARN AT THEIR OWN PACE.
SO, WORKING FOREFRONT WITH THE SODO ISD AS I'VE DONE WITH DALLAS, ISD AS I'VE DONE IN OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS THROUGHOUT MY CAREER, TO ENSURE THAT THE STUDENTS HAVE OPPORTUNITIES NOT ONLY TO LEARN, BUT ALSO TO GROW, UH, IN, IN, IN THAT ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT IS, IS PART OF MY ROLE AS THE CITY MANAGER.
IT'S PART OF YOUR ROLE AS, AS THE CITIZENS TO MAKE SURE, BECAUSE THE EDUCATION PIECE IS FRONT AND CENTER, WHAT MAKES A COMMUNITY SUCCESSFUL, AND SOMETIMES WHAT MAKES A COMMUNITY STRUGGLE, UH, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO INFRASTRUCTURE OPPORTUNITIES, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT.
SO WE HAVE TO ENGAGE FRONT AND CENTER WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT.
NOW, I DON'T WANT TO TELL 'EM HOW TO DO THEIR BUSINESS, BUT I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT I, THAT I WORK WITH THEM, UH, TO IDENTIFY SOME OF THE CHALLENGES, SOME OF THE THREATS, AND FOCUS ON SOME OF THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE HAVE, UH, TOGETHER, UH, WORKING TOGETHER IN TERMS OF IMPROVING AND ENHANCING THE EDUCATION SYSTEM.
SO I'VE DONE THAT THROUGHOUT MY CAREER AND I'M, I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO DOING THAT AS WELL HERE FOR DESOTO, ISD AND THE ISD AS WELL.
THE NEXT QUESTION IS, TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY ARE INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT IN OUR CITY.
HOW DO YOU ENSURE TRANSPARENCY IN DECISION-MAKING PROCESSES AND HOLD YOURSELF AND YOUR TEAM ACCOUNTABLE FOR OUTCOMES? YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES.
UM, I, I BELIEVE IN TRANSPARENCY FRONT AND CENTER, AND THAT COMES FROM ME FIRST AND FOREMOST.
AND THAT IS TO BE ABLE TO WALK THE TALK, MAKING SURE THAT I AM INCREDIBLY VISIBLE TO THE COMMUNITY 24 7, WHICH AGAIN, I'VE DEMONSTRATED, UH, THROUGHOUT
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MY ENTIRE CAREER.UH, IT IS, UM, I, I'LL GIVE AN EXAMPLE ON THE 2017 BOND THAT DALLAS HAS, UH, THAT WAS THE FIRST BOND PROGRAM THAT I CREATED, AND I WAS ABLE TO CREATE PERFORMANCE METRICS THAT REPORTS EVERY SINGLE THING THAT WE'RE DOING IN THE BOND PROGRAM, INCLUDING TIMELINES AND INCLUDING, UH, EXPENDITURES, INCLUDING PROJECT MANAGEMENT, WHO TO CONTACT, ALL OF THAT.
I WILL BE DOING THE SAME THING, UH, FOR DESOTO, MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE A HUNDRED PERCENT ACCESSIBLE, WE ARE A HUNDRED PERCENT TRUTHFUL, AND I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A GREAT ENGAGEMENT PLAN FOR OUR CITIZENS, WHO WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ON ANYTHING THAT WE DO.
WHETHER IT'S IN THE BUDGET, WHETHER IT'S IN, IN PROGRAMS, OR WHETHER IT'S IN INITIATIVES, PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IS REALLY KEY.
AND I WILL BE FRONT AND CENTER IN FRONT OF THAT.
THE NEXT QUESTION IS, WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION AND MARKETING STRATEGIES, STRATEGIES WITHIN A CITY, AND HOW WOULD YOU APPROACH LEVERAGING THESE TOOLS TO PROMOTE CIVIC ENGAGEMENT, ATTRACT INVESTMENT, AND ENHANCE THE OVERALL REPUTATION AND IMAGE OF DESOTO? YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES.
AND IT, IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT WE HAVE AN INCREDIBLE BRAND AND A MARKETING STRATEGY.
UH, NOW THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN BY JUST SAYING, HEY FOLKS, LET'S SHOW UP TO DESOTO.
WE HAVE TO DEMONSTRATE THAT, UH, EASIER BUSINESS PRACTICES IN CITY GOVERNMENT, MAKING SURE THAT WE CONTINUE TO KEEP DESOTO BEAUTIFUL.
QUALITY OF LIFE OPPORTUNITIES, HOUSING AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR DIVERSE HOUSING.
ALL OF THAT IS PART OF THE MARKETING STRATEGY.
NOT ONLY THAT, BUT MAKING SURE THAT WE ATTRACT RESPONSIBLE AND RESPONSIVE, RESPONSIVE DEVELOPMENT, MEANING THAT WE WANT PEOPLE TO BE INVESTED IN DE SOTO, NOT JUST PUTTING THEIR MONEY IN DE SOTO, BUT WE WANNA BE CHOOSY WHO WE WANNA BRING IN.
AND THAT'S PART OF OUR BRANDING BECAUSE WE WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW THAT DE SOTO IS THE PLACE TO BE ONLY FOR THE PEOPLE WHO WANNA BE IN DESOTO AND WANT TO INVEST IN DESOTO.
AND SO THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO BE CHOOSY PICKY, AND, AND TO BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT WE NEED IS WHAT THE MARKET IN DESOTO IS GONNA DRIVE.
AND THIS IS YOUR FINAL QUESTION, AND IT HAS THREE PARTS.
SO I'M GONNA, UH, I CAN REPEAT IT IF YOU NEED ME TO.
CAN YOU WALK US THROUGH YOUR APPROACH TO TALENT ACQUISITION AND MANAGEMENT AS A CITY MANAGER SPECIFICALLY? NUMBER ONE, HOW DO YOU IDENTIFY THE RIGHT CANDIDATES FOR VARIOUS POSITIONS WITHIN CITY ADMINISTRATION? NUMBER TWO, HOW DO YOU ENSURE THEY'RE A GOOD FIT CULTURALLY AND SKILL WISE? AND LASTLY, WHAT STEPS DO YOU TAKE WHEN IT BECOMES EVIDENT THAT AN EMPLOYEE MAY NOT BE THE RIGHT FIT FOR THEIR ROLE? SURE.
THAT'S ALWAYS, UH, A, A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR A CITY MANAGER OR A NIGHTMARE, UH, FOR THAT MATTER.
UH, I, I LIKE TO TAKE IT AS AN OPPORTUNITY.
I THINK BEFORE I SAY ON EMPLOYEE ATTRACTION.
UH, EMPLOYEE RETENTION IS REALLY KEY.
UH, I THINK IN, IN, I WOULD TELL YOU IN MY PREVIOUS, UH, UH, ASSIGNMENTS I'VE HAD THE, THE MISFORTUNES OF LOSING SOME GREAT PEOPLE, AND SOMETIMES IT'S NOT THE RIGHT SETTING.
SO EMPLOYEE RETENTION IS REALLY KEY, ESPECIALLY THE TOP TALENTED EMPLOYEE ON EMPLOYEE ATTRACTION.
I WANT PEOPLE TO BE PUBLIC SERVANTS.
SO I ACTUALLY RECRUIT FOR ATTITUDE FIRST AND FOREMOST.
I CAN TEACH ENGINEERING, I CAN TEACH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, I CAN TEACH ANYTHING THAT GOVERNMENT SERVICES DOES.
SO FIRST AND FOREMOST, IT IS IMPERATIVE FOR US TO FOCUS ON ATTITUDE AND FOCUS ON WILLINGNESS TO GO OUT THERE AND SERVE.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S ABSOLUTELY IMPORTANT, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE HAVE THE, THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE MESSAGE.
UH, AND, AND BEING PART OF THE ORGANIZATION, I SPEND A LOT OF TIME WITH THE EMPLOYEES.
I SPEND A LOT OF TIME WITH MY COWORKER, COACHING THEM, FACILITATING.
AS A MATTER OF FACT, I TELL 'EM, I WORK FOR YOU.
AND THAT IS REALLY KEY IN, IN THIS.
I, I PRACTICED THAT THROUGHOUT MY ENTIRE CAREER.
SO IT'S, IM IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE TO KNOW THAT THEY HAVE A SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR THEM.
AND IT'S IMPORTANT FOR, FOR PEOPLE TO KNOW THAT THEY HAVE A FACILITATOR AND A, AND A PERSON WHO'S GONNA BE ABLE TO COACH THEM AND, AND, AND WORK WITH THEM
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AND, AND MAKE 'EM UNDERSTAND THE GOALS AND THE OBJECTIVES OF THE CITY.IF I DON'T EXPLAIN WHAT THE VISION AND THE MISSION, IT'S, IT'S A PROBLEM ON THE CITY MANAGER.
IT'S A PROBLEM ON THE HIGHER UP.
AND SO I GO AND WORK WITH THE EMPLOYEES TO MAKE SURE THAT THE MESSAGE IS CLEAR.
UH, THERE'S OWNERSHIP IN THIS, UH, IN THIS OPPORTUNITY, AND THERE IS FOCUS FOR US.
MR. FRI, THAT CONCLUDES YOUR TIME.
I COULD HAVE TALKED FOR A FEW MINUTES MORE.
I'M SURE YOU CAN
UM, AT THIS TIME, WE WILL ASK THAT YOU GIVE US A ONE MINUTE CLOSING.
UH, I WANNA BE A CITY MANAGER HERE.
AND, UH, I, I BELIEVE ALL OF MY, UH, UH, OPPORTUNITIES FOR GROWTH THROUGHOUT MY CAREER HAS, HAS, UH, PUT ME IN A GREAT POSITION, UH, TO BE THE NEXT CITY MANAGER.
UM, I SEE A LOT OF FACES THAT ARE FAMILIAR TO ME, AND, UH, THAT THEY KNOW WHAT MY CREDO IS.
THEY KNOW WHAT MY APPROACH IS.
UH, I WORK HARD AND I PLAY HARD.
UH, BUT I AM ABSOLUTELY COMMITTED TO THE ORGANIZATION THAT I WORK FOR.
I'M COMMITTED TO THE CITY COUNCIL THAT I WORK FOR, AND I'M, I'M, UH, VERY COMMITTED TO THE COMMUNITY THAT I WORK FOR.
UM, I'M, I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT GETTING TO KNOW EVERY SINGLE PERSON, EVERY SINGLE STREET, UH, AND EVERY SINGLE CORNER OF, OF THE CITY, OF DESOTO.
AND, UH, I'M HERE TO SERVE YOU.
THANK YOU, MR. ALGAR, FOR ENGAGING AND INDULGING OUR QUESTIONS TONIGHT.
CAN WE GIVE ALL OF OUR CANDIDATES A GREAT BIG HAND CLAP AT THIS TIME? THAT CONCLUDES OUR CANDIDATE Q AND A.
HOWEVER, WE DO HAVE SOME MORE TIME ON THE CLOCK TONIGHT, SO WE HAVE ABOUT ANOTHER HOUR UNTIL THEY ASK US TO LEAVE