NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Hutchinson Mayor Greg Fast said the council will be busy Tuesday, even though their formal agenda for the meeting is short.
"We have two city manager candidates that we're going to interview on Tuesday," Fast said. "One from out of state, one from in state, and possibly a third that we may bring in for an interview from two states away. As I always tell people, I'm always hopeful that we find a good one. We will find the right person for Hutchinson and if it takes another year, I'm sorry in advance."
Fast was tongue in cheek with the another year comment, but leadership in all areas is tough to find these days.
"We, as a council, have a couple people behind the scenes helping us that do this kind of work for a living that have some ties to Hutchinson and you know, one of the things we talk about is the candidate pool is really small in general, not just for the Hutchinson job, but for other jobs. There seems to be a lot of the top jobs available right now. I think that we struggle in hiring, all the way from the bottom of the scale. I think that's in every sector, not just the municipality sector."
Growing talent within all levels of city government for people who already work and live here is a key component of filling those positions.
"We are working hard to get them the training to set them up for success," Fast said. "They are just getting by at this time. I think that we have made some headway in hiring staff. We are going to cultivate those relationships and set them up for success."
It will depend on whether the council feels the need for additional interviews or not to determine how quickly a decision can be made.
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