Meeting with the Mayor: City Administrator Search

Lamar Mayor Kirk Crespin

From time to time, Lamar Mayor, Kirk Crespin and The Prowers Journal will get together to discuss and review developments of interest to Lamar residents and the surrounding community.  The hope is, the better informed a community is on matters that pertain to them, the more involved they can become with their local municipal government and stay abreast of matters that potentially impact their lives.

City Administrator Search:

Following the Lamar City Council executive meeting on June 28^th, Mayor Kirk Crespin said progress is being made to find a new city administrator to replace Stephen Kil who announced his resignation this past May after 18 months on the job.

Crespin said it was unfortunate to lose someone with Kil’s talents, but there is an upside to the current search.  “We were sorry to see Stephen Kil leave as early as he did.  There were no problems there.  It’s just that he was made an offer that was too good for him to refuse.  The city is using the same firm to find his replacement that was used to bring Kil to our attention.  We’re using Strategic Government Resources (SGR) from Keller, Texas.  They guaranteed us a quality administrator for a minimum of 18 months and Stephen left us after 16 months, so when I contacted SGR, they jumped right in on the same day I received the notice of resignation.”  Crespin noted the initial contract timeframe meant considerable savings to the city, as Lamar only had to provide the cost of marketing and advertising this time.

Mayor Crespin said SGR provided the city with 17 initial prospects which were narrowed to six up until the June 28^th executive session when the candidates were narrowed to five which may be further reduced.  “We aren’t releasing any names yet, but we will in the future.  There are one or two candidates who come from Colorado and the rest from other parts of the country,” he explained, adding that this is a close race as the remaining candidates all have good resumes, but the time will come when the candidates are listed and as in the past, the public will have an opportunity to meet with them.

Crespin said an in-person interview with the remaining candidates is the next step in the hiring process.  He said it would be an asset to have someone who offered the same business acumen as Kil.  “We want someone like him with strong points on community growth and economic development and who can put fresh eyes on the community.  We brainstormed well together and we were able to set plans for real, actionable items.”

“There are four pillars on which the city can improve:  infrastructure development, economic development, quality of life and good governance.  That’s what I’m striving for as we as a council want to keep the community informed and engaged and be transparent in what we’re doing and why.”

The Mayor said those are key elements in what he calls good governance.  “Our department heads have all stepped up this past winter and spring, covering the gaps to the point that nothing is slipping through the cracks.  If you have the whole team moving in the same directions, your goals are easier to accomplish.  This includes such areas as work at North Gateway Park, new soccer fields planned to improve Escondido Park, the water and road projects, all help improve the community.

By Russ Baldwin