Thursday, July 22, 2010

“Search for countywide 911 executive director may end in January 2011” plus 3 more

“Search for countywide 911 executive director may end in January 2011” plus 3 more

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Search for countywide 911 executive director may end in January 2011

Posted: 22 Jul 2010 11:31 AM PDT

by Laura Adelmann
Thisweek Newspapers

By the end of the year, the extensive search for the next countywide 911 dispatch center executive director may quietly end.

During a special meeting July 15, the Dakota Communication Center Board of Directors unanimously approved its executive committee's recommendation to name Diane Lind to the position on an interim basis.

But on Jan. 1, 2011, the recruitment process would either be renewed or halted, apparently depending on how Lind, former DCC operations director,  performs and whether she wants to step up to the lead position on a permanent basis.

During the July 17 DCC Board meeting, DCC Executive Committee Chair and Hastings Mayor Dave Osberg said the executive committee deliberated for over an hour regarding the candidate decision between  Lind, Russell Sinkler of Rosemount and John Dejung of Madison, Wis.

But without a unanimous decision of the executive committee, which includes city administrators and County Administrator Brandt Richardson, Osberg said they didn't think it was fair or right to make a recommendation to the DCC Board of Directors.

"We had a tough time getting half of them to agree, let alone unanimity," Osberg said.

He added that the search firm Brimeyer Fursman followed its contractual obligations to provide 10 candidates, which were eventually narrowed to the three.

Lind, of Lakeville, became the DCC's first operations director when the joint emergency dispatch center opened in late 2007. She is a former communications supervisor with the Burnsville Police Department.

Dejung is a public safety communications director in Madison and served as director of 911/311 in Minneapolis until May 2009.

Sinkler was director of Minneapolis' emergency communications center from 1981 to 1984 and is now a senior client business executive at an Eden Prairie communications firm.

Osberg said there were about 30 candidates who were never interviewed and may still be interested in the job.

However, members also expressed concern about financing another candidate search.

Board members also said they don't want Lind to have to perform two jobs, and want an interim operations director to be named to fill her old position.

Board member and Dakota County Commissioner Liz Workman said if the board is happy with Lind's performance after six months, they may not have to go through the process again.

"We're very fortunate to have someone here who knows the operation well enough to step in. … If we didn't have (Lind), we'd have to go outside, and this is an extremely important position," said board member and Inver Grove Heights council member George Tourville.  "The best scenario would be that we're so happy that in January we say, 'Hey, let's make it permanent.' "

Laura Adelmann is at laura.adelmann@ecm-inc.com.

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Mayor to open search for police chief, make position no longer 'at will'

Posted: 21 Jul 2010 08:11 PM PDT


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By BRIAN BARBER World Staff Writer
Published: 7/21/2010  10:06 PM
Last Modified: 7/21/2010  10:06 PM
Mayor Dewey Bartlett will launch his formal search for a police chief Friday and will reclassify the post to give the city's top cop some job protection, he told the Tulsa World.

Following the City Charter, Bartlett must first consider candidates from within the Tulsa Police Department before he can accept external applications.

Interim Police Chief Chuck Jordan, who has filled the role since former Police Chief Ron Palmer's resignation Jan. 22 and earns $100,000 annually, confirmed that he will be an external candidate for the job.

The job will be posted Friday, with internal applications being accepted for one week.

Bartlett is also changing the police chief post from one of the mayor's at-will employees to one that is again under the civil service system. This means the chief can be removed from the position only for just cause and with due process.

Former Mayor Kathy Taylor made the chief's position one of her at-will jobs in 2007 following the retirement of former Chief Dave Been.

Bartlett said reclassifying the job will emphasize the "seriousness of that position." "Nobody in the (Police) Department or in city government or in the city of Tulsa should assume that is going to be a temporary assignment based on who the mayor is," he said.

Particularly in light of the current allegations of police corruption, Bartlett said, it's important for people to know "there's a commitment to the chief and whatever that person needs to do."

Jordan said he thinks the reclassification to civil service is important for the position.

"It takes the chief out of the political arena," he said. "It also offers continuity to the Police Department. Every time we have an administration change, if we also have a new chief, the department would go through a lot of turmoil and upheaval."

Bartlett said he hasn't decided whether he will establish a formal search committee to help him review candidates. He first wants to see how many applications are received.

"There will be a process put into place, and I will get others involved, but I don't want to put the cart before the horse," he said.

After Palmer was hired in 2007, the three internal candidates took a lawsuit all the way to the Oklahoma Supreme Court, claiming that if at least three internal candidates are qualified, the City Charter stipulates that the mayor must choose from among them.

But the court ruled last year that the mayor has the authority to hire from outside once internal candidates are given due consideration.

Despite the friction with the mayor's administration over police officer layoffs and the three deputy chiefs having accused his chief of staff of lying about a federal grant, Bartlett said he will keep an open mind about hiring an internal candidate.

"We will definitely give them a good look," he said. "If they feel like they are a candidate to be considered, then I owe it to them to do that."

Deputy Chief Mark McCrory said he will discuss the job with his family before deciding whether to apply. Deputy Chiefs Daryl Webster and Dennis Larsen could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Bartlett and Jordan have been friends since Bartlett was a city councilor in the early 1990s and Jordan was on Tulsa's police force.

Jordan rose to the rank of sergeant in the Police Department over a 32-year career and retired in 2001. He later joined the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office, where he was a captain at the time he was tapped by Bartlett to be the interim police chief.

Bartlett is using the police chief job description that was drafted by Taylor a few years ago.

Included in the description are preferences for candidates to have master's degrees or other post-graduate degrees and previous experience as deputy chief or police chief.

Jordan does not have a master's degree. He finished his bachelor's degree in criminal justice administration from the University of Phoenix in 2009. He received an associate's degree from Connors State College in 1973 and has about 45 hours of college credit at the University of Tulsa.

Before he became the interim chief, Jordan had never served as a deputy chief or police chief with any agency.

Bartlett said Jordan is "absolutely qualified" to be selected.

"I believe there is quite a bit of latitude in my capability of making a decision, and I will use that latitude if necessary," Bartlett said, adding that he didn't want to change the job description and possibly face criticism for seeming to favor Jordan.

Jordan said the "job description is what it is" and said he would never have recommended changing it.

"There's a strong case to be made that additional education should be looked at," he said. "But I also don't think that's necessarily the most important factor."

Jordan said he'd be willing to submit his service over the last six months as his resume for the job. But he said he's also sure that qualified internal candidates will apply.

The mayor praised the accomplishments Jordan has made since assuming the role, including curbing police overtime and reaching out to neighborhoods. The force is also about to go back to the beat system, in which officers patrol smaller areas.

"He's got great management skills, and he's established a good relationship with (the police union), which is essential," Bartlett said.

McCrory said he also does not have a master's degree.

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Reader comments for this page have been moved to the most updated version of the story, now under the headline "Bartlett to launch search for police chief," which was published on 7/22/2010. So far, 28 comments have been made.

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LIVESHOT: Job Recovery on Wall Street?

Posted: 22 Jul 2010 09:44 AM PDT

Today's disappointing jobless claims numbers don't seem to be dampening the mood on Wall Street where finding a job isn't as tough as it was in the last few years.

Financial service firms are bulking up - growing by nearly 7,000 employees in New York City alone from February to May, the largest three-month increase in nearly two years.  Global giants in the industry like Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan, along with smaller boutique firms, are spending their recent profits to bolster their once-shaved down staffs.

Wall Street tends to hire in anticipation of better times, leading many to believe our economy is on the mend. Matthew Rothenberg, from the online job search site Theladders.com, says vacancies in finance are the best he's seen in years.  Right now, his site has over 50,000 available jobs offering 100k or more in salary.

Not everyone is convinced.  Many economists believe our economy is stagnant, and until we get overall unemployment under control, jobs will remain scarce.  They say Wall Street has a tendency to severely cut employment and right now firms are merely replenishing from the most recent brain drain.  With just these 7,000 jobs added, when tens of thousands were lost, it does not mean a recovery has arrived.

The increase in the financial industry's demand is reigniting a war over talented individuals and both compensation and retention are making a comeback.  Star performers now have leverage against their potential employers for bonuses and pay packages.

However, salaries for job seekers remain lower than before the financial crisis.  Applicants can expect less cash up front in favor of larger bonuses down the road.

Fox News' Christopher Laible contributed to this report.

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Chief search down to four

Posted: 22 Jul 2010 03:32 AM PDT

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