Cross your fingers that the Wichita city manager search is homing in on the right man or woman for the job this time, after last summer’s Pat Salerno debacle. Until the city releases the names, perhaps of six finalists this afternoon, and finally opens the doors to the public and media for forums next week, all citizens have to go on are assurances from those few Wichitans involved in the process. “I’m impressed,” said Mayor Carl Brewer. “We have some very good ones.” Of course, Brewer and other council members also were impressed with Salerno (in photo), who was the only candidate to be interviewed last spring, who accepted the $215,000-a-year job, and then changed his mind a week before he was supposed to start, declaring, “I just don’t feel right.” Eleven months after City Manager George Kolb’s forced resignation, the City Council must ensure that the hiring of his successor feels right not only for the candidate but for Wichita. If, as The Eagle reported Thursday, Sedgwick County Manager William Buchanan is among the finalists, he would be a strong contender.
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21 Comments
William Buchanan appears to be a good fit, perhaps he won’t high tail it out of town after he accepts the job.
Bill Buchanan, the quasi-architect of spending 1/2 billion dollars for the white elephant downtown ice hockey arena, in my opinion, would be the WORST possible choice for Wichita City Manager.
Of course, Buchanen’s looking for a convenient place to flee to from the inevitable grilling at the Courthouse after the November election breaks the back of the GOBN influence there.
No (in answer to the ?).
I agree with NO. As noted by JW, he is too tightly bound to the GOBN.
Moore still seems to me to be the best fit but I have one reservation there. Is he also tied into that group? I don’t really know – MrC?
This is a local government that elects “register of deeds” and appoints the second most powerful official in the city.
Brilliant.
“Will City Council get it right this time?”
Would this qualify as an oxymoron? Maybe not, it doesn’t actually use Wichita as a modifier. There may be some city councils someplace that actually get it right.
If we elect the city mangager, might as well have the mayor be the manager, but doing that might save money so it wont happen.
Capn, you are mixing apples and oranges a bit there, but your point is taken. As for me, I do not understand why the Register of Deeds, the County Clerk, among other administrators, are elected; however, that is how it is.
If we can’t have changes that might save money, perhaps we could elect competent council members?
Having elected administrators makes them accountable to the public, at least in theory, most people probably cant even name them.
Moore would be the best choice, but they’ve made it all too clear he’s not welcome.
Our loss will be Corpus Christi’s gain.
Ready to start the recall process when you are…
TomPaine, having elected officials in administrative positions does, theoretically, make them accountable to the voters. As you note, with the exception of Ms Foulston, most don’t know who these folks are.
Would making these offices (including the Register of Deeds, County Clerk, County Treasurer, DA) appointed positions (appointed by the duly elected County Commission) make the holders thereof any less accountable to the public as a practical matter?
Just got this email:
The Wichita City Council and Citizens Committee announced the five finalists for the Wichita City Manager position today. The finalists and their current positions are listed below.
Norton Bonaparte, Jr. – Topeka, KS City Manager
William Buchanan – Sedgwick County Manager
Floyd Johnson – Riviera Beach (FL) Community Redevelopment Agency Executive Director
Robert Layton – Urbandale, IA City Manager
George Noe – former Corpus Christi, TX City Manager (left September 2008)
The Wichita City Council and the Citizens Committee will interview the finalists next week. The details of the schedule are expected to be announced Monday.
The media is invited to interview the candidates from 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 5 and Thursday, Nov. 6 in the 1st floor City7 studio (near the City Council Chambers) at City Hall, 455 N. Main. Each candidate will stop by the City7 studio between the panel interviews.
RJ – it seems ironic that we are talking to Corpus’ FORMER manager but not Moore.
My question above: is Moore not a part of the GOBN?
Well, we know Buchanan.
Both Urbandale, IA and Riviera Beach, FL are cities of under 40,000 population.
Corpus Christi, TX is a city about the same size as Wichita.
Topeka has just under 150,000 population. This one should be easier to research.
That’s just the beginning of info we should have and think about.
One thing we shouldn’t do is trust our council members judgment. They don’t have a track record that inspires confidence.
Urbandale and Riviera Beach – are they ’stand-alone’ cities like Wichita or suburbs of a real city? That was one thing that bothered me about Salerno. His experience was not relevant.
Urbandale is a suburb of Des Moines.
Thanks Raptor. I have my doubts about that experience; the problems faced by a suburb are dramatically different from those of a standalone city.
Wichita City Manager Finalists
Date: October 31, 2008
Contact: Communications Team
Phone: (316) 268-4351
Interviews Scheduled for the Week of Nov. 5
The Wichita City Council and Citizens Committee announced the five finalists for the Wichita City Manager position today. The finalists and their current positions are listed below.
* Norton Bonaparte, Jr. – Topeka, KS City Manager
* William Buchanan – Sedgwick County Manager
* Floyd Johnson – Riviera Beach (FL) Community Redevelopment Agency Executive Director
* Robert Layton – Urbandale, IA City Manager
* George Noe – former Corpus Christi, TX City Manager (left September 2008)
The Wichita City Council and the Citizens Committee will interview the finalists next week. The details of the schedule are expected to be announced Monday.
The media is invited to interview the candidates from 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 5 and Thursday, Nov. 6 in the 1st floor City7 studio (near the City Council Chambers) at City Hall, 455 N. Main. Each candidate will stop by the City7 studio between the panel interviews.
Members of the media and the public are also invited to attend two televised public meetings featuring the candidates at 6 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 5 and Thursday, Nov. 6 in the first floor boardroom of City Hall. The meetings will be televised live on City7 (COX Cable Channel 7). The public is encouraged to arrive early to submit questions in writing which will be answered by the candidates during the televised meetings. Seating is also limited.
The Wichita City Manager oversees 3,100 employees, a $500 million annual budget and a $2.4 billion Capital Improvement Program. Former City Manager George Kolb resigned Nov. 28, 2007 and departed in early January. Dr. Ed Flentje served as interim City Manager from January 2 – July 11, 2008. Scott Moore succeeded Dr. Flentje and currently serves as interim Wichita City Manager.
Did you read the list of five city manager candidates in this morning’s Wichita EAGLE? To me, its obvious that at least three of the five candidates are looking for a place to retire to with an equivalent high salary, perks and sumptious snacks after being unceremoniously dumped from their last job.
It goes without saying, it will take these out-of-staters at least a year to get acquainted with the culture and locate the bathrooms in the expensively furnished city manager’s office high over Wichita.
Of course, current county manager, Bill Buchanen, does know his way around Wichita … too well. He has been one of the quasi leaders of almost everything wrong with Sedgwick County in the eyes of its citizens. Holdover county commissioners, Dave Unruh, Tim Norton and Winters (soon to be history after being voted out in the primary) have taken their guidance from Buchanen spending or committing Sedgwick County taxpayers for some billion dollars for an unwanted, unneeded white elephant downtown arena and other useless services.
In return, this huge expenditure of tax funds has left county taxpayers with a huge unfunded list of needed services that Sedgwick County taxpayers now can’t afford to pay for.
Perhaps county manager Buchanen can seek one of those musical chair bureaucratic manager jobs in Florida that seems to keep popping up.
HEY RHONDA:
Freedom of speech, transparency & accountability are the key to solving Wichita’s problems. There is a proverb “Be careful what you wish for because it just may come true.” You & your comrade elitists at the Eagle should keep on promoting county manager Bill Buchanan to become city manager. I assume that if he is hired as city manager he could be easily fired after a recall movement is started afer County Commissoner Karl Peterjohn exposes the corruption in county government.
I wrote the attached comment in response to letters to the editor by Columbus Bryant & Randy Rathbun. I think that God has a plan to humble all of the elitists in Wichita especially the hypocritical GOP pro life family value politicans & judges at Central Christian Community Church and the media leaders that appear to be selling their souls. Thanks for letting me post my comments to your blog.
Bill McKean kiakahahaha@yahoo.com 293-6079
Hey Bud Bryant, Randy Dennis Hedke & Walt Chappell & Randy Rathbun:
I agree that Kansas is becoming the laughingstock of the natonal and that Wichita is the epicenter for political kingdom building, bipartisan fascism & religious hypocrisy. The corruption & human rights atrocities in the family law & juvenile courts & Nola Foulston’s office (that have been ignored for many years by GOP & Democrat US Attorneys Lee Thompson, Randy Rathbun & Eric Melgren) has become so bad that USD 259 has become a safe haven for employement for disgraced corrupt court-appointed forensic psychoglists. In one current case a prominent family law attorney who is running for judge apepars to have encouraged a school counselor to write a letter to make an arbitrary recommendation to transfer a 13 yo kid to an alternative school with out counsulting the teachers, principal or even talking to the student. Of course the prinicipal hade to write a letter 3 days later over-ruling the counsleor. I am very concerned that Walt & Dennis are both elitists from opposite ends of the poltical spectrum who are both willing to ignore the EVIL actions of their hypocritical poltical allies. The cure will be transparency & accountability and a courageous attorney will to step forward to become the first Atticus Finch in Kansas. If Schoenhover loses, he can become a very wealthy man by suing a list of about 15 family law & juvenile attorneys & forensic psychologists in Wichita who would in turn lead to 5 – 6 GOP judges being removed by the bench & Nola taking an early retirement. kiakahahaha at yahoo