Austin City Manager Search Timeline
August 2016: Marc Ott resigns as Austin City Manager to work for City and County Management Association in D.C.. He had the job for eight years.
Austin City Manager Marc Ott leaves Austin for D.C. gig (KXAN, 8/12/2016)
September 1, 2016: Elaine Hart appointed interim city manager.
Austin City Council September 1 Meeting Agenda
Elaine Hart picked to run Austin for now, as search for city manager continues (ABJ, 9/2/2016)
October 4, 2016: RFQS for Consulting Services for City Manager Recruitment Released
Solicitation (Austin Finance Online)
October 30, 2016: Marc Otts last day
November 1, 2016: Solicitation Responses Due
The headhunt begins for Austin's next municipal CEO (ABJ, 11/17/2016)
Qualifications and track record of executive search firms that responded to the RFQS by the public.
December 8, 2016: Council received responses to the Request for Qualification Statements (RFQS). The motion to close the Request for Qualifications was denied on Council Member Pool’s motion, Council Member Caesar's second on a 10-0 vote. Mayor Pro Tem Tovo was absent. Direction to staff was given to begin a new Request for Qualification process.
December 8, 2016 Council Meeting Agenda
December 8, 2016 Council Meeting Minutes
Solicitation Evaluation Matrix
As critics weigh in, Austin considers reset on search for city manager recruitment firm (ABJ, 12/7/2017)
January 31, 2017: Council Discussion on search firm options. Received briefing from HR Director, Joya Hayes on City Manager Search.
January 31, 2017 Council Work Session Agenda
January 31, 2017 Council Work Session Minutes
City Manager Recruitment Presentation
February 9, 2017: Approved contract with Russell Reynolds and Associates (Estimated $122,800)
A motion to authorize the negotiation and execution of a contract with Russell Reynolds was made by Council Member Casar and seconded by Council Member Renteria
A substitute motion to authorize the negotiation and execution of a contract with GovHR and Transearch was made by Council Member Garza and seconded by Council Member Pool. Council Member Pool later withdrew the substitute motion.
The motion authorizing negotiation and execution of a contract with Russell Reynolds was approved on Council Member Caesar's motion, Council Member Renteria’s second on a 7-4 vote. Those voting aye were: Mayor Adler, Council Members Alter, Casar, Flannigan,Houston, Renteria, and Troxclair. Those voting nay were: Mayor Pro Tem Tovo, and Council Members Garza, Kitchen, and Pool.
February 9, 2017 Council Meeting Agenda
February 9, 2017 Council Meeting Minutes
After lengthy process, executive headhunter tapped to aid Austin in city manager search (ABJ, 2/10/2017)
March 23, 2017: City Council directs Russell Reynolds Associates, the executive search firm for the City Manager selection process, to begin the hiring process. Council voted to keep the candidates' names confidential. Council will pick finalists and hold interviews behind closed doors. When there is a single finalist, their name will be made public.
March 23,2017 Regular Council Meeting Agenda
Austin will keep city manager search a secret (Statesman, 3/23/2017)
April 13, 2017: City Council passes a resolution which appointed the City Manager Search Advisory Task Force to work with Russell Reynolds Associates to provide recommendations including selection criteria to Council. The Task Force is responsible for the first stage of a three-phase process that will be utilized by the City Council to select a new City Manager. In this first phase, the Task Force will independently collect public input and, based on the input, develop and submit recommendations to the City Council. In the second phase, Russell Reynolds Associates, the City’s selected recruitment firm, will develop the recruitment brochure using the feedback from the Task Force to recruit qualified candidates for consideration. In the final phase, the Austin City Council will deliberate and select a new City Manager.
ATX City Manager Search One Pager
April 4, 2017 Work Session: Some council members express confusion about the reports about the process being confidential. Council member Kathie Tovo expresses support for publicly introducing the final candidates.
April 4, 2017 Work Session Agenda
Managing Secrets: Council's search for city manager may be confidential ... or not (Austin Chronicle, 4/10/2017)
When Ott was hired in 2008, the eight semifinalists were announced near the end of the search and then the two finalists were presented in a public meet and greet.
Ott’s predecessor, Toby Futrell, was essentially appointed by outgoing CM and meteor Jesus Garza.
May 19, 2017: Kick off Task Force Meeting. Introductions, Russell Reynolds Presentation on City Manager Search Process and Timeline, and Review Proposed Work Plan and Meeting Schedule.
June 8, 2017: Council approved a resolution which accepted with modifications the proposed work plan developed by the Task Force, and directed the Task Force to execute that approved work plan.
Updated City Manager Search Advisory Task Force: Proposed Work Plan
June 9-30, 2017: District Feedback Meetings. Each task force member will coordinate with their respective CMs office to host meetings to receive feedback on the City Manager profile.
June 12, 2017: First Full Task Force Meeting. First of four public meetings that the full task force convenes to collect identified stakeholder and general community feedback.
June 16, 2017: City Manager Search Advisory Task Force Public Meeting (2nd Meeting)
Task Force approved a resolution recommending that the Council expand the role of the Task Force as described in Resolution No. 20170413-027 to allow the Task Force to participate in interviews with the final list of City Manager candidates in order to confirm their alignment with its recommended city manager profile.
June 28, 2017: City Manager Search Advisory Task Force Public Meeting (3rd Meeting)
July 8, 2017: City Manager Search Advisory Task Force Public Meeting (4th Meeting)
July 12, 2017: Task Force Received Draft City Manager Profile and Synthesized Feedback.
July 19, 2017: Full Task Force Votes on a recommendation City Council.
August 10, 2017: Council approves a resolution adding an additional Task Force responsibility that the Task Force shall participate in confidential interviews with the finalist candidates for the City Manager position for the limited purpose of ensuring alignment with the city manager profile.
August 10 City Council Meeting Agenda
Austin City Council scheduled to hire new city manager by end of 2017 (10/3/2017)
October 31, 2017: First set of interviews
Vacant for one year: city manager candidates begin interviews (KXAN, 10/31/2017)
Austin American-Statesman sues city of Austin over city manager secrecy (Statesman, 10/31/2017)
The city denied a public information request from the statesman to release the names of the city manager finalists. In a letter to the attorney general, the city stated that revealing the names of the candidates would undermine the process. Texas does have laws in place that guard the identities of candidates for school superintendent or chief executive of an institution of higher learning, but none for government officials such as a city manager.
November 2, 2017: Second set of interviews conducted at airport. Interview location is secretly moved without notice to the City Council or the city’s legal department.
Austin Is Trying Hard To Keep Its City Manager Search Secret. That May Be Illegal. (KUT, 11/2/17)
Council: Hush Please … We’re Hiring a City Manager (Austin Chronicle, 11/3/2017)
Austin City Council Reveals Six Finalists For City Manager Position (KUT, 11/20/2017)
Council initially kept the identities of the finalists a secret but after public uproar, Mayor Adler posted the names and biographies to council’s online message board.
Council Message Board (11/20/2017)
Spencer Cronk (Minneapolis)
Cecil House (Public sector construction lead)
Scott Kubly (Director of Seattle DOT)
Howard Lazarus (Ann Arbor)
Denise Roth (Senior Advisor at WSP)
Maura Sullivan (COO City of Chatanooga)
December 3, 2017: City Manager interviews with Council and members of the search task force.
Records reveal drama, disguises in Austin city manager search (Statesman, 12/6/2017)
December 7, 2017: City Council receives briefing from Russell Reynolds & Associates on next steps for the city manager recruitment process. Consultant recommended two finalists, Spencer Cronk (Minneapolis) and Howard Lazarus (Ann Arbor).
Those two candidates will be brought back for extensive interviews with city staff, public safety chiefs and a third and final interview with the Austin City Council. The consultant also recommended the finalists go before the public in a forum at the Austin Convention Center. Participants would then provide input to be reviewed by the council, who will make a final decision on Dec. 18 or 19.
Austin City Council December 7 Meeting Agenda
Austin narrows down city manager search to 2 candidates (KXAN, 12/7/2017)
Diversions and disguises: Behind Austin’s city manager search (Statesman, 12/17/17)
Austin’s two city manager finalists: Howard Lazarus and Spencer Cronk (12/8/2017)
Cronk and Lazarus will each get an hour to present themselves to the public at the Austin Convention Center next Tuesday, between 7 and 9 p.m. Members of the public are encouraged to attend and give the city feedback on the candidates’ strengths and weaknesses, either via an online survey or paper forms that will be provided at the event.
Each candidate will also be meeting with four different stakeholder groups representing different segments of the municipal workforce: department directors, assistant city managers, employee unions and “affinity groups” that represent African-American, Latino, Asian and LGBTQ city workers.
The following morning, Council will conduct final interviews with the candidates in a closed-door executive session. After that, Council members will have four or five days to consider the interviews and citizen feedback before making a final decision at a public meeting on either Dec. 18 or 19, said Joya Hayes, who is coordinating the scheduling as head of the city’s Human Resources Department.
December 11/12, 2017: Final Interviews conducted.
December 19, 2017: Spencer Cronk selected as city manager in 11-0 vote.
December 19 City Council Agenda
December 19 City Council Minutes
Spencer Cronk named new Austin city manager (Spectrum News, 12/19/2017)
February 1, 2018: City Manager Contract with Spencer Cronk approved. Council also discussed releasing information related to the city manager search after numerous public information requests. No action or discussion was taken on this item.
Base Salary: $325,0000
March 2018: Austin Bombing starts.
January 6, 2023: New Mayor and Council Member inaugurated.
February 1, 2023: Ice Storm hits Austin
February 15th, 2023: City Manager Spencer Cronk Fired in 10-1 vote.
February 16th, 2023: Interim City Manager Jesus Garza appointed.
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