HomeMy WebLinkAbout2. Police Chief Interviews and Selection 4 SUMMARY
CITY COUNCIL
City Council Regular Meeting: August 6, 2012
AGENDA ITEM: Police Chief Interviews and Selection AGENDA SECTION:
PREPARED BY: Dwight Johnson, City Administrator AGENDA NO. p�
ATTACHMENTS: APPROVED BY:
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RECOMMENDED ACTION: Interview the three finalists for Police Chief and consider
selection of a preferred candidate
BACKGROUND
Former Chief Gary Kalstabakken retired from the City effective May 31st. At the May 9 Council work
session, staff was directed to seek candidates and identify three finalists for the City Council to consider.
The position was advertised in City and Police professional publications and specified that police
command experience above the level of first level supervisor was required. Eleven candidates responded
and six were interviewed by two panels on July 18`''.
The first panel consisted of primarily of community representatives including Pastor Bill Goodwin, Cub
Food Manager Tom Meaden, Rosemount Elementary Principal Tom Idstrom, Community Development
Director Kim Lindquist and myself. The second panel included primarily public safety people including
Chief Jim McDonald of Eagan, Fire Chief Scott Aker, Sergeant John Sommers, Officer Mike Dahlstrom,
Records Supervisor Jean Driscoll and Assistant City Administrator Emmy Foster. The consensus of the
two panels was that the three finalists would be:
1. Eric Werner, Police Captain in Burnsville
2. Michael Marben, Police Captain in Apple Valley
3. Jewel Ericson, Police Lieutenant and Interim Chief in Rosemount
The second part of the process was an open house for the public to meet the three finalists. The open
house was held on Wednesday, August 1st from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Written comments were sought
and 14 attendees filled out comments. These will be provided to you separately.
The third part of the process was a professional assessment of each of the finalists by Personnel Decisions,
Inc. of Minneapolis. Each candidate participated in a variety of activities such as role playing, cognitive
and personality tests and a behavioral interview. Summaries for each candidate will also be provided to
you separately.
COUNCIL INTERVIEW
The final part of the process is Council interviews with each of the three finalists on Monday, August 6`
The Council is requested to gather at 3:45 p.m. for interview preparation. Since three interviews are
scheduled as well as a regular Council meeting later in the evening, food will be provided. The three
interviews are scheduled in the conference room as follows:
4:00 p.m. Jewel Ericson
5:00 p.m. Eric Werner
6:00 p.m. Michael Marben
Staff has compiled a list of possible interview questions, including the questions already asked of the
candidates in the initial interviews. It is perfectly acceptable to use some of the original questions used by
our panels again, since some of the questions were specifically asked based upon previous Council
discussions. The list of questions will also be provided to you separately.
Following the interviews, you may have 30 minutes to review the results of the interviews as well as other
information provided. You could choose to adjourn the special meeting and reconvene after the regular
council meeting for further discussion if you wish.
RECOMMENDATION
Following the Council interviews and discussion, the Council should direct staff regarding the choice of
the preferred candidate, direct staff regarding any additional information needed, or otherwise direct the
City Administrator on how to proceed. Once a preferred candidate is identified, staff anticipates doing a
detailed background check on that candidate before making a formal job offer. The estimated cost of the
background check is $650.
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